And Then There Was Us
by Alex Beckett
Summary: Aurora is happy to be in Storybrooke, but also lonely. What happens when her life gets turned upside down in the most unexpected way?
1. One

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for what I make up.**

* * *

Aurora liked Storybrooke very much.

It was a very cute little town, and one of the things she especially loved was that the local inn housed many of the people from the Enchanted Forest and the surrounding realms who had gotten caught in the second curse and brought to Storybrooke with no immediate place to live.

Aurora and her infant son were amongst these refugees, but she was thankful because she had been wanting to get to Stroybrooke for ages and now due to recent events back home, she was thankful to have a place to live at all.

An extra perk of living at the inn was that she'd met and befriended Ruby Lucas, who let her and the baby take the adjoining room next to her own.

Princess Aurora _loved_ Storybrooke, to be truthful, but it just wasn't the same without Prince Phillip at her side.

* * *

Back in the Enchanted Forest, their castle had been attacked and destroyed by ogres in the middle of the night.

There had been absolutely no time to call for aid, so it had been every person for themselves. Aurora fled with her family, but in all of the pandemonium, Aurora and Phillip were separated. She didn't find him until hours later, after the ogres had left altogether.

Unfortunately, Phillip passed away from his injuries not long after being discovered. The last thing he told her was to take their son and find Mulan.

* * *

Aurora buried her love at sunrise and set out with what she could carry, and her baby boy for company.

It was well after dark when the magical cloud appeared, rolling through the land and since Aurora knew better than to outrun it, so she just stood and let it take them.

When the darkness lifted, she and baby Phillip were in Storybrooke.

* * *

Under the guidance of Ruby, mother and son began adjusting to life in the small seaside town. Ruby even helped Aurora make friends.

Even after all that, Mulan's heart ached for the loss of the man she'd thought she was going to marry, and for the lack of presence of the only other person she could ever picture spending the rest of her life with.

Aurora had cried into Ruby's shoulder about it more than once.

* * *

Little did Aurora know that Mulan had actually gotten swept up in the curse, too, but was tucked away in the woods and was living in August Booth's old home.

She wasn't alone, though.

Unbeknownst to many, Mulan had a young daughter called Mei. The warrior didn't talk about Mei because she'd had been forced to leave her behind in their village, after her husband, General Li Shang, exposed her for impersonating a soldier and fighting in the war that had been plaguing their area.

Her punishment? Banishment.

Walking away from her daughter hurt, but it was a sacrifice because Mulan understood that the road before her was dangerous, and no place for a child.

Not until after staying with Robin Hood and his Merry Men did the warrior get the courage to go back to Mei because she missed her. A life in Aurora's castle, or with her and Phillip and their little baby—in any capacity—would be better than the lives they were currently living.

Mulan made it back to her village and collected Mei, but she still got caught by Shang. Being of old-fashioned values and of the knowledge that he and his wife were already in an loveless marriage that had been hastily arranged because they were from two different social classes, Shang punished Mulan for breaking the banishment and embarrassing his good name. He also kept a strict eye on her and Mei after that.

Mulan had never felt so ashamed in her life.

Several months of this had passed before the magical cloud appeared and swallowed them up.

* * *

The cloud spat them out in the Storybrooke woods and normally, Mulan would've gone to explore her surroundings to see if they could get a bearing on them, but her punishment had caught up with her and it was exhausting her more than she'd like, so she and Mei didn't stray far from the grounds of their new home, living off the land.

Fed up with her mother one evening, Mei wandered away to do some exploring of her own.

It came to no surprise that the four-year-old got lost.

* * *

"Mama?" Mei was downright sobbing now as she walked in the gloom down a well-traveled hiking path. "Mama, where are you? I'm sorry; I'll be good!"

Mei was cold, hungry, dirty, and tired.

"Is there anybody out there?"

No sooner had words left her mouth than she saw pair of large yellow eyes shining at her, directly ahead. They weren't human. Mei soon saw that they belonged to a large grey wolf, although she had no way of knowing that it was Ruby, out on a patrol because it was Wolf's Time.

Instinct told Mei to run because she'd always heard that wolves were dangerous, but something was different about this one—it stopped in front of her and bowed to her, showing submission.

Mei reached a hand out to the animal, giggling when Ruby licked it. Comfortable after that, Mei rand her hands through Ruby's fur.

"You're so warm, pretty wolf. Just like a blanket."

Mei's words ended in a yawn and she stumbled, but Ruby caught her and steadied her.

"I'm sleepy," Mei confessed around another yawn and hugged Ruby's neck. "And I lost my mama."

Ruby sat and actually managed to pull Mei close in a kind of hug with the leg she wasn't standing on. When Mei pulled away after a moment, she looked at Ruby with wide eyes.

"You understand me?"

Ruby bobbed her head in confirmation.

"Do you know someone who has food?"

Ruby bobbed her head again and got down on all fours.

"You're gonna take me?"

Ruby let out a soft woof this time, so Mei climbed onto her back and when she felt secure enough, Ruby stood and set off into town.

* * *

Everybody in Storybrooke, even the new people, knew that Ruby was a werewolf, but even still, she entered the inn through the back way, where hers and Aurora's rooms were.

* * *

Now that baby Phillip was old enough to sit up on his own and be very aware of things happening around him, Aurora had started reading to him every day, especially before he went to bed for the night. His favorite story was The Little Engine That Could.

This was what Aurora was reading to him when she heard a soft scratching at the door.

"Oh, it looks like Ruby has come for a visit!" Aurora set the book aside—thankfully, because she was getting sick of it—and stood, setting Phillip on her hip. "Let's go let her in, hmm?"

Phillip actually shed a few tears, although Aurora knew he was faking it because he was upset that their nightly routine had been disrupted.

"Hush, baby boy. You know that story front to back, as it is."

Phillip's temper fizzled at his mother's tone and he leaned into her touch as she wiped his tears and kissed his cheek. Settled, Phillip didn't fuss any more as his mother let Ruby in.

Aurora wasn't surprised to see Ruby as a wolf, but she hadn't been expecting to see her carrying a child on her back, let alone one that was dirty, worn out, and sleepy. When Mei disembarked and stood on the floor, her legs gave out from exhaustion, so Ruby curled up behind her, acting as he'd support again.

Curious, Aurora got on her knees and spoke gently to her; there had to be an extra good reason that she'd been sought out instead of Regina, Emma, Snow, or Belle.

"I'm Aurora. What's your name?"

The little one yawned and looked up at her. "I'm called Mei, and I'm four."

When the two made eye contact, Aurora felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her because Mei was a spitting image of Mulan.

"Are you lost, Mei?"

Nod. "I got angry with mama, and then I lost her!"

"But Ruby found you." Aurora pointed out quickly. "She's very nice, isn't she?"

"Yeah, and she's real pretty, too."

"You should see what she's like in human form—she's just as pretty as she is now."

At the words 'human form,' Mei's eyes widened. "Ruby is a _werewolf?"_

"Uh-huh."

"Wow! That's really neat!"

Thankful for Mei's fascination with Ruby, Aurora used that as a segue. "Since she's a werewolf, that means she's really good at smelling things."

Mei turned beet red as she became aware of her appearance. "I'm stinky and smelly…"

"Don't worry, baby girl—I'll give you a bath in a minute. Just stay with me."

"Okay."

"Since Ruby is really good at smelling things, that means that if you have something of your mama's, she will be able to find her for you. Do you have anything of that sort?"

Mei thought about it for a minute and then undid a blue silk scarf around her neck. "This was mama's, but she gave it to me for good luck!"

"Why don't you give it to Ruby?"

Mei made her way over to the wolf and laid the scarf at her feet. "Please, Ruby: can you use this to find mama? She's in the woods, and I miss her!"

Ruby took the scarf in her paws and took a huge whiff, easily picking up on Mulan's trail, but to give her friend some reassurance, Ruby wagged her tail and touched her nose to her shoulder. Mei kissed Ruby's fur and then turned back to Aurora.

"Do you know my mama?"

Aurora nodded, ignoring the clench in her heart she felt as she thought of Mulan. "I know her very well. Your mama is very, very special to me."

"Mama makes your heart smile?"

"Oh, yes."

Mei grinned and then motioned towards Phillip. "Who's that?"

"That's Phillip. He's my baby boy."

Mei smiled fondly—she loved babies. She wanted to ask more questions about Phillip, but her stomach rumbled loudly and clutched her stomach.

"I'm so hungry..."

"It's okay. Hang on."

Aurora stood and quickly crossed the room, fetching the half of the pastrami sandwich that she'd saved from earlier in the day. When she gave it to Mei, she devoured it, ravenous. Aurora had been planning to use this as a stalling tactic so she could get to her phone on the table by the window, but Mei had parked herself squarely in her lap.

"Rora," Mei said when she finished her food. "When could I have a bath?"

"Very soon." Aurora stood Mei up so she could get to her own feet. "I just have to put Phillip in his bed, alright?"

Mei just nodded—she was fading fast—and watched as Aurora picked Phillip up from where he'd fallen asleep against Ruby and lay him down. Afterward, Mei barely made it through her bath before admitting to herself that it was time for bed.

"Rora," Mei used the pet name on her friend as they cuddled on Aurora's bed. "You said that Phillip is your baby boy?"

"Yes."

"Where's his papa? What's _his_ name?"

"His name was also Phillip, but he was called away to be an angel."

"Oh." Mei moved closer to Aurora and traced shapes on Aurora's stomach, thinking. "And your Phillip: he grew in there?"

"Indeed he did." Aurora stroked Mei's face, watching her. "Why are you asking these things?"

"I don't have a papa 'cause I think we lost him, but my mama has a baby in her tummy."

Aurora's own stomach did a flip-flop at this and she was aghast, wanting more than ever to get Emma on the line.

"She does?"

Mei nodded. "I hope it's a girl so that way, Phillip could be her friend and protect her since nobody protected us."

Aurora realized that Mei must have seen something she shouldn't have and hugged her closer, not wanting to leave her now.

"Where's Ruby?" Mei asked suddenly. "I want my puppy…"

Ruby hadn't left the room yet, having curled up by Phillip's crib, but when she heard her name, she picked up the scarf Mei had given her and sat, watching the bed and wagging her tail, hopeful for an invitation.

Aurora beckoned to her and Ruby immediately climbed up, claiming a spot at Mei's feet.

"Ruby's here now, baby. Can you feel her?"

"Uh-huh."

The amount of body heat that Ruby was generating was lulling Mei straight to sleep.

Aurora turned out the lamp on her bedside table and pulled Mei closer, deciding to turn in for the night. "Ruby and I are both here with you."

"What about mama?"

"Ruby and I will work on finding her in the morning. Our friends will help, too."

"Thanks, Rora."

"You're welcome."

"Good night…"

That was the last Aurora heard out of Mei until morning. Ruby was asleep soon, too.

It took Aurora awhile to fall asleep, although that was because she had one thought, and one thought only: her beloved Mulan was in the woods, alone and pregnant.

* * *

**More?**


	2. Two

**I was watching Mulan as I wrote this, completely unintentional U^_^**

* * *

In the morning, Aurora woke early to nurse Phillip since he was an early riser, like she was.

As she sat on the rocking chair in the corner with him, listening to the sounds of the other inn occupants rising for the day, the princess wondered about Mulan and how she was.

Aurora was also hung up on the fact that Mulan was pregnant. Just who was her baby's father? Were he and Mulan together? Or married? Everybody knew that Mulan was a private person, but still—surely she would have said _something_ about a husband and child.

"I really hope we can find Mulan today." Aurora confided in her son as he finished and she made herself decent before she began the process of burping him. "I imagine that she's more than a little scared, and that she just wants to be with Mei. I know her, Phillip, and I know that she'll do anything to find who she loves… that is, if she's well…"

Phillip's only response was to let out a large healthy burp. Just as Aurora finished cleaning him up, she noticed that Mei was waking up and stretching out in the bed.

"Good morning, little bird." Aurora greeted Mei as she sat with her. "Did you sleep well?"

Mei let out a huge yawn and nodded, as she rested her cheek on Aurora's bust, using it as a pillow. Aurora could tell that even though Mei was accustomed to waking up early, she wasn't a morning person.

"Yes, Rora." Mei let out a yawn and looked around. "Where's Phillip?"

"He's here, cuddling." Aurora laughed and touched her cheek to the top of Mei's head. "Look."

Mei looked to where Aurora was pointing to see that Phillip was also leaning against the princess. Phillip was watching Mei fastidiously, and when she smiled at him, he burst into giggles.

"Phillip likes you." Aurora mused, hugging both of the children close. "It's not often someone he's just met makes him laugh like that."

Mei puffed up her chest in pride, and she looked around to see what Ruby would make of it, but then she noticed for the first time that she wasn't there.

"Where is Ruby?"

"Well, seeing as the sun is up, she's probably back in her human form now." Aurora said thoughtfully. "I think she went to change her clothes."

Mei's bottom lip trembled. "But what about finding mama?"

"We'll get to that, little bird, so don't worry. When Ruby gets here, we'll get some food and then we'll ask our friends to help you find your mother."

"Really?"

"Really." Aurora gave her an extra cuddle. "Ruby will be here soon."

Her words were still hanging in the air when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open!" Aurora called out.

Ruby entered, wearing jeans and red hoodie that was halfway zipped over a white t-shirt. Plain black flats where on her feet, and she wore a black fedora on her head. Aurora noticed it wasn't up to Ruby's usual wardrobe standards, but she didn't say anything about it.

"R-Ruby?"

Mei's words came out in a stutter as she realized that Aurora had been spot on when she'd said that Ruby was just as beautiful in human form as she was in her other form. To Aurora, it looked like Mei had just been lovestruck for the first time ever.

"You're my puppy from last night?"

"Mhm," Ruby sat next to her, laughed when Mei scrambled into her lap very quickly. "And you know what? I noticed that you needed new things to wear, so this is for you."

Ruby had been carrying a wicker basket on one arm, but she quickly put it in Mei's lap.

"Go ahead and open it."

Mei lifted back the flap of the basket and squealed in delight—and in a decibel that should have been unachievable so early in the morning—as she pulled out a new dress, a new pair of leggings, matching boots, and a warm wool poncho. The weather was getting cooler, and these things were perfect, especially since they were all in her size. There were even mittens, a hat, and a scarf to complete the look.

Ruby happly helped Mei get dressed, and even did her hair for her.

"Where did you get those things?" Aurora asked the woman in red as Mei flounced off to check out her own reflection in the closet mirror. "I didn't think any of the shops were open yet."

"Some are, some aren't."

Ruby stood and held her arms out for Phillip.

"Is the baby ready for the day?"

"Yes. Why?" Aurora was taken aback by the sudden change in subject, but still handed her son over. "What are you thinking?"

"That I don't work today, so I can help you out for this adventure. I'll take the kids to the diner while you get ready for the day."

Aurora smiled gratefully at Ruby; the older girl was the sister Aurora had always wanted but had never gotten as a child.

"Thanks, Ruby. I'll see you all in awhile."

* * *

When Aurora finally made it to the diner, she found the others in a booth adjacent to the washrooms, just in case. Phillip was perched in Ruby's lap, absorbed in maintaining his grip on the bits of chopped peach on the saucer in front of him. He was a sucker for peaches and was happily stuffing his face now. Ruby and Mei were happily sharing a stack of waffles together, and Mei was even laughing as she tasted maple syrup for the first time. The whole scene was picturesque, so Aurora joined them, soon ordering her usual bowl of yogurt, fruit, and granola.

After everyone was done and clean, Ruby checked the time: eight-ten.

"You know," she said to Aurora as returned Phillip to her and scooped Mei off the floor and sitting her on her hip. "Emma should be in her office now. David, too."

Aurora's heart leapt; getting to Emma meant being one step closer to Mulan. "Then let's go."

Mei patted Ruby on the shoulder to get her attention as they left the diner and headed out to the main avenue. "Ruby, I have a question for you."

"And what's that, my sweet Mei?"

"Did you say the names David and Emma?"

"I did."

Mei perked up. "My mama is friends with Emma, and she told me that David is Emma's papa. Is David nice to Emma?"

Ruby's heart broke to hear a question like that from one so small about people she so dearly loved, but she still answered the inquiry.

"David is nice to Emma because he loves her very much."

Mei grinned, pleased by this answer. "I have another question."

"Oh?"

"Is mama's friend Belle around here? Mama said Belle is a very good tracker and that that makes her very honu— honna—"

The little one pouted when she couldn't get the word right.

"Mei, are you trying to say the word honorable?"

"Yes!"

"Well, you're in luck: Belle _does_ live here, so someone will make sure she comes to help."

Delighted by this, Mei gave Ruby a peck on the cheek and let her thoughts drift to something else.

* * *

"Hey, guys." Emma greeted Ruby and Aurora warmly when she saw them come into the office. "Who's your pint-sized hitchhiker?"

"Emma, this is Mei." explained Ruby as she caressed the little girl's back when she suddenly got shy. "I found her last night, wandering through the woods, on one of the hiking paths."

Emma raised her eyebrows, knowing that Ruby hadn't been quite herself last night. "You _found_ her?"

Ruby nodded. "She told me she was very lost, but she was also frightened, tired, hungry, dirty, and cold. It wasn't like I could just _leave_ her there, so I got her to get on my back, and I brought her to Aurora."

The sheriff-princess turned to the girl in purple for confirmation.

"Ruby did bring Mei to me," Aurora said with a nod. "And we looked after her since it was too late to call you."

Emma couldn't argue against that logic, so she approached Mei, who had been watching her this whole time from the safety of Ruby's arms.

"Hey, there."

Emma held a hand out, just to see what Mei would do. She was given a high five and when Mei kept her hand in hers, she took it as a sign of interest and trust.

"It's really nice to meet you, Mei."

The dark-haired child actually cracked a smile. "You're Emma?"

"That's right."

Mei held her arms out, wanting to see her up close. When Emma took her, she noticed that Mei was lighter than she should have been for a four-year-old child.

"Where are your parents?"

"I don't think my papa came with us to this land. That's good, though."

Fascinated by this child, Emma sat on the edge of the nearest desk with her. "Tell me why that's a good thing."

"Because he was mean and made mama cry all the time. Sometimes he hit her."

Mei's words, delivered with brute honesty, broke everyone's hearts.

"I'm so sorry, Mei." Emma reached out and stroked the little girl's face affectionately. "I'm _so_ sorry."

"He shouldn't have done that."

"You're completely right." Emma agreed. "He really shouldn't have done that."

Wanting to get the conversation going in a proper direction, Aurora spoke pointedly to her little friend. "Mei, why don't you tell Emma who your mother is? It's a good time to do that."

"My mama is Mulan, and she said once that you and your mama are friends with her."

"That's very true." Emma nodded as she recalled their adventures with the warrior.

"Mama is also friends with Belle. Do you know where she is?"

Emma nodded and just as she made to reach for her phone, a new person entered the room: David.

"Emma, I—hi, everyone."

David was very surprised to see all the new people because it had been just him and his daughter when he'd left for the bakery a little bit ago. As a nice gesture, and as a way to break the awkward silence that had just popped up, he held open the paper bag he was carrying.

"Bagels, anyone?"

Aurora politely turned him down, and so did Ruby, but she seemed slightly off, like she was having an aversion to the smell of the warm baked treat.

"You alright, Red?" the prince asked of the woman he'd always regarded as a little sister.

Ruby most certainly was not, but she wasn't ready to talk about it. David believed her when she made up a passing excuse and used the phrase 'Wolf's Time,' in it, and Emma wasn't even paying attention because she was now at her desk with Mei in her lap, showing her how to spread cream cheese on a bagel. Aurora immediately suspected what Ruby was hiding but said nothing of it, instead moving towards David, quickly filling him in on the situation.

"Then where is Mei's mother?" He asked when she was finished. "She has to be around here somewhere."

"Mei's mother is Mulan the warrior."

"I beg your pardon?" The prince had heard many stories of the warrior, but from all of those, he never would've pegged her as the motherly type. "Mulan is here?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, and apparently, she's out in the woods."

"And Ruby brought her to you?"

Aurora gave another nod. "Yes, but more to the point: how many trackers do you know besides Ruby?"

"Snow and Belle, for sure." The prince answered immediately. "Robin Hood can help, too. I'll contact them."

"Good." Aurora sat in the nearest chair with Phillip. "I will be happy to look after baby Neal if need be, but please impress upon whomever you recruit that speed is of the essence, because according to Mei, Mulan is pregnant."

David was on his phone in no time after that, and Ruby was dashing out the door, calling over her shoulder that she was going to go collect Belle.

All Aurora could do was wait.

Hang in there, Mulan, she thought. Help is coming.


	3. Three

**Note to AmazingGracieGurl: thanks for your enthusiasm, love! Perhaps you should follow story so you can read the updates sooner so you don't have to sit around and wonder if it's been updated :P just a suggestion ;) xo**

* * *

Twenty minutes later saw Ruby leading Emma, her parents, Elsa, Killian, Regina, Robin Hood, and Will Scarlett into the woods to look for Mulan while Aurora stayed behind to look after Phillip, Mei, and baby Neal. Roland was off with Little John, having an adventure somewhere.

Thanks to the scarf Mei had lent her, it didn't take Ruby long to pick up on the scent of the lost warrior. However, after ten minutes of leading everyone in the right direction, Ruby was forced to come to a screeching halt when she was overcome with a sudden sneezing fit.

"I'm—_ACHOO!_ s-sorry, you guys. _ACHOO! _I'm really allergic to fl-flowers! _ACHOO! _Just a se—_ACHOO! _second!"

Way to Ruby's right stood huge bushes of honeysuckle, whose lovely scent was being carried downwind by the slight breeze. The others each liked the smell, but seeing Ruby's discomfort, Snow quickly took her out of the breeze's jet stream, slightly out of earshot of the others, and sat with her on a fallen hollow log while she cleared her head.

"Ruby," Snow said after a few moments. "I've known about your flower allergy for as long as I've known you, but the flowers that set off your sneezing fit were at least six feet away. That's bit much, even for you with your normally-heightened senses, isn't it?"

Ruby bit her lip, weighing her options. The woman sitting next to her knew all of her secrets—even who she currently shared a bed with on most nights now—and even after all of these years, their bond remained like sisterhood.

But this… this was brand new, and she still hadn't let herself think about it.

"I—"

Ruby started to answer Snow, but David came jogging up just then, looking completely excited about something. He was also completely oblivious to the fact that he'd just interrupted the two.

"What is it?" Ruby asked as she and Snow got to their feet.

"Belle's just seen August Booth's old trailer which has been abandoned since he got turned back into a little boy and went to live with Marco. She says it looks lived in, but there's nobody in the surrounding area, which leads us to think that that was where you were leading us before you had your sneezing fit."

Beside Ruby, Snow furrowed her eyebrows as she thought through all of her husband's words. "I've been there before, and this was not the way!"

Ruby put a hand on her friend's arm. "They probably just found an alternate way, Snow. These woods do go on and on."

"That's true," Snow had been distracted by wondering about Ruby to consider that option. "But what about all those flowers?"

"Regina incinerated them." David sighed in a dejected tone; having spent much of his life outside, he hated to see plants get snuffed out.

"Well, at least isn't incapable of showing that she cares now." Ruby remarked as she tilted her head to the side, listening for something unseen. "Everyone getting antsy—let's go back."

That was all she said before leaving her friends in the dust.

Ruby caught up to Emma, Elsa, and the others, with the Charmings not to far behind her.

"Are you okay now, Ruby?" Regina asked in genuine concern.

"Yes, thank you."

Meanwhile, Elsa was feeling a tad confused. "Why are we all just standing here? Is this Mulan dangerous?"

"Not in the least." Belle shook her head as she gazed ahead at the trailer, standing about fifteen feet away. "I'm sure Mulan is in there and quite frightened by now, so it's understandable that she'd be even more alarmed if we all went inside at once."

"She's also pregnant," Regina reminded them. "So the sooner we think of a plan, the better!"

"Not helping, your majesty." Killian said in a warning tone.

Robin quickly stood between the two before they could start fighting like spoiled five-year-olds. "Ruby shall come with us to fetch Mulan, but who else here has the good warrior's trust? Tell me with a show of hands."

Robin raised his own hands, but so did Belle, Emma, Snow, and surprisingly, Will Scarlett.

Robin was the chief leader in giving his former Merry Man a 'judging you' expression, but it was he who broke the awkward silence.

"Go on—explain yourself."

"Right: about seven months ago—I think—our paths crossed on the road, way out in the middle of nowhere. She was cold and hungry, so I gave her some clean clothes, shared some of my food with her, and invited her to stay the night by the campfire. She was gone before I woke up."

"Did she tell you where she was going, or where she'd just come from?"

"Something about having left you and the boys to head back to her village so she could collect her little girl before she set off on expedition to look for her true loves. Mulan was frightfully worried that her husband would catch her because she'd already done something bad years ago that got her banished for life."

_"Banished?" _Belle echoed, making everyone jump; it was the first time she'd spoken in awhile. "That means she was _already_ serving out that punishment around the time I met her! What did she _do?"_

"And she's _married?" _Emma cried. "She never mentioned _that_ when _we_ met her!"

Will held his arms out in surrender. "Don't shoot the messenger, please. Mulan was mostly worried about her husband's temper because because he likes to use her as a punching bag when he's angry."

"Why in the world wouldn't you have said any of this before now?" Robin demanded.

"I've only just remembered all of this, Robin, but I _do_ want to find her as badly as the rest of you. Now shall we get a move on, or do you want to stand there and yammer at me a little more?"

Knowing that Regina, Emma, and Emma's parents would give him hell for even clocking Will one good one right in the snogger, the man in green exercised a great deal of self-restraint and stepped back, turning to Ruby.

"I'm ready when you are."

Ruby quickly chose Robin, Will, Belle, Emma, and Snow to be in the rescue party and finally led them towards the trailer.

* * *

"Mulan?" Belle called out as they entered the trailer. "It's Belle, and few other people!"

Mulan was in the back room, curled up on the bed. She could hear them, but the combination of being worried sick about Mei, and having a gestating baby that was taking all of the nourishment going into her weary body had really sapped her of her usual energy, but she still managed to pick up a book from her nightstand and throw it towards the open door, hoping it would be enough to get their attention.

Mulan was genuinely surprised to see Robin Hood and Will Scarlett, of all people, respond first, and although the registered that it was them, her primal instincts took over and she curled up in a ball, to the best of her ability, protecting herself. Of course she knew that neither of them would ever lay a hand to her, but the last man she'd interacted with had beaten her something awful, paying no heed to her expectant condition.

"Go!" Mulan gave a dry sob, swatting blindly at the thieves. _"Leave!"_

Distressed, Robin and Will exited quickly, soon to be replaced by Belle, Emma, and Snow. It took a little bit coaxing, but the trio of princesses got the warrior to sit up, and when they saw the massive size of her belly, they realized that Will's estimate of seven months had been right.

Snow felt her heart break when she took in the sight of Mulan's undernourished body and all of the various injuries. They were all in different stages of healing, but if Snow had to hazard a guess based on the healing progression, she would've said that Mulan had been beaten just before (or as) the second curse happened.

"Snow?" Mulan croaked as Emma and Belle sat with her, propping her up. "Have you seen a little girl that bears resemblance to me?"

"Mei? She's safe, Mulan." Snow grinned. "My friend, Ruby—Emma's godmother—found her last night, and put her into the care of someone we all know."

"Who?"

"Aurora."

Mulan's heart leapt and she wanted to cry, but forced herself not to. "Aurora is nearby?"

"Uh-huh. She and Mei really can't wait to see you."

"Mulan," Belle gave her friend a back rub. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"That's okay." The librarian cooed. "We will help you."

As it turned out, Mulan couldn't stand on her own, and she finally gave in to her exhaustion, fainting clean away in Emma's arms.

* * *

Once they were outside and everybody saw what kind of shape Mulan was in, they gathered around Regina, and she poofed them all to the hospital, whereupon they all made a dash for the ER area.

That was, everyone but Ruby.

While she'd been waiting outside the trailer with Robin and Will for everyone else to come out, she'd gone for a short walk to do some thinking about the secret she was currently sitting on. During that time, she'd lost her footing on some leaves, wet from the previous night's rain, and ending up taking an unexpected mudslide. Luckily, Robin and Will went chasing after her, soon catching her and standing her up before she could go any further.

That was all good and well, but now, Ruby was paying the price for her hesitation and silence.

Still sore from her spill in the woods, Ruby eased herself into the nearest empty wheelchair, wincing as her body suddenly starting processing a little more pain than it should have been.

Please, no, she thought desperately as felt the distinct feeling of blood trickle between her legs. Don't betray me, body. Please, no.

"I need help."

Ruby's words had been a mumble and so quiet, that they were almost inaudible to everyone around her.

One person heard her, though.

"Red?"

Blue, as was her way, had popped up out of seemingly nowhere, and came hurrying over to the waitress, kneeling down in front of her. When she saw Ruby wiping furiously at newly-formed tears in her eyes as she clamped her free hand tightly over her middle, Blue immediately held both of her hands next to Ruby's one, channeling healing energy into it as she tried again.

"Child, what is going on?"

And so the words tumbled from Ruby's mouth. "I think I'm having a miscarriage."


	4. Four

**Sorry it's taken so long to update: real life gets in the way, sometimes!**

* * *

Blue looked at her young friend in horror and channeled even more healing magic into Ruby's body before turning to call for help. Seeing as they were in a hospital, the help came quickly.

"Wait, Blue!" Ruby called to her as the fairy left, seeing that the werewolf was in good hands.

"Yes, child?" Blue came back to Ruby. "What is it?"

Ruby caught Blue's hand in hers. "Will you stay? Please?"

Blue didn't have the willpower to say no, so she smiled comfortingly at the young woman. "Of course I will."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in her wheelchair, allowing the nurses to take her the rest of the way. Blue followed beside them.

Sure, Ruby's worry about the life of her little one hadn't lifted—nor had her concern over what the father was going to say because he didn't even know—but at least Blue was with her.

Ruby also wondered how Mulan was.

* * *

Another ward over, the warrior was just coming to, and Aurora and Mei were sitting on the bed with her, watching her with bated breath. If it hadn't been for them and that she was in an incredibly weakened state, she would have really freaked out at the unfamiliar, sterile environment.

Princess Aurora was just simply at a loss for words and on the verge of happy tears, but Mei maneuvered her way our of her caregiver's lap and crawled over to her mother, and showered her with hugs and kisses, mindful of her frail state and all of the monitors she was hooked up to.

Mother and daughter were in a world of their own for a moment, conversing in a language Aurora couldn't understand. It was clear those two had been through hell and back together, and the depth of their bond made Aurora melt.

Naturally, she jumped when Mulan reached for her hand. Aurora scooted closer and took it, pretending not to notice how their fingers naturally intertwined. She definitely noticed how her heart rate increased rapidly when Mulan kissed her hand in a very affectionate way, conveying her thanks for everything. Mulan was never this affectionate, except for who she deeply loved. Aurora quickly came to the conclusion that it was the pregnancy that was messing with her usual behavior.

When she asked for water, Aurora helped her to drink it, and even when she'd had her fill, she still didn't let go of Aurora's hand; being this close was all she'd ever wanted. But then again, the same went for Aurora.

"Was it you who found Mei?" The warrior asked.

"One of my friends did, actually. I looked after for the night."

"Mama," Mei said suddenly to her mother. "I get why you like Rora so much."

"Enlighten me, little one."

"Because she's warm, really nice, _way_ beautiful, and _so_ easy to love!"

Mulan blushed spectacularly while Aurora laughed at Mei's no-filter mouth.

"I won't deny any of that, Mei: it's all true." Mulan pulled her daughter close with her free hand and gave her a gentle kiss. "Lay with me."

"Yes, mama."

When Mei was cuddled up with her precious mother, Aurora asked, "Do you really think that of me?"

Mulan gave a nod, and if it was possible, she turned an even brighter shade of red. "Always."

Aurora wanted to ask more questions, but there was a knock on their closed door, so she got up and opened it to reveal Doctor Whale. He said hello to her and got down to business as he approached the bed.

"I'm so glad to see you're awake, Mulan. Do you know where you are?"

"Storybrooke?" She guessed hopefully.

"Yes."

Mulan breathed a visible sigh of relief. "And you must be Doctor Whale, from The Land Without Color?"

Doctor Whale was impressed. "How did you know that?"

Aurora interrupted, clearing her throat in a pointed manner. "Perhaps we can skip the pleasantries and check on the baby now?"

"Right." Doctor Whale schooled himself. "Good idea."

Feeling apprehensive now, Mulan looked to Aurora. "Will it hurt?"

Honestly, Aurora didn't know because she hadn't given birth in this land, much less ever seen a proper hospital before coming to Storybrooke, but because Mulan was depending on her, she stroked her friend's fingers with her thumb.

"If it does," Aurora said as she sat in a chair next to the bed. "Just remember that I'm right beside you. I won't go anywhere as long as you want me here."

Mulan felt this answer to be satisfactory and because she wasn't entirely with the program yet, she simply watched as the doctor performed the ultrasound and patiently explained how everything worked.

When he got to the part where he was going to locate the heartbeat, he hesitated. "Hmm… wasn't expecting to see that…"

"See what?" Aurora demanded hotly before Mulan could get a word in edgewise. "Don't just leave us hanging!"

Doctor Whale had a look of pure stunned amusement on his face. "The machine is picking up two heartbeats."

"Excuse me?" Mulan said faintly._ "Twins?"_

Mei chose this moment to ask what that word meant, and when Aurora explained it, it became too much for Mei to wrap her mind around, and she actually passed clean out in Aurora's lap.

Upon Doctor Whale's advice, Aurora laid Mei on the cot by the window so she could sleep it off, and so they could get through the rest of the time without interruption.

"Might we hear the heartbeats now?" Aurora asked.

"Most certainly."

Doctor Whale kept the ultrasound wand trained atop Mulan's bare belly as he flicked a switch on the monitor. The sounds of the babies' heartbeats filled the room quickly.

"How's that? Two very strong and healthy heartbeats."

Both Mulan and Aurora were filled with such rushes of joy that they were speechless for a minute, Aurora because one of her fantasies was true by the second, and Mulan not because she was in a new land experiencing new things, but more because she was wishing with every fiber of her being that she wasn't carrying any sons.

Mulan had gotten lucky the first time around when Mei was born a girl, and then again when her daughter grew to be her own spitting image.

It was awful of Mulan to think, especially considering society and culture she'd been brought up in, but she didn't think she'd be able to handle it if she ever bore any sons for Shang, not after everything he'd done to her.

"Would you like to know what you're having?" Whale asked gently.

Mulan looked at him, eyes wide. "I've heard many tales about you, but none they suggested you to be a mind reader!"

"A mind reader, I am not, madam. I was just wondering if you'd like to know."

From her chair next to Mulan's bed, Aurora was deeply impressed. "That sort of thing is possible in this land?"

"That, and so much more."

Mulan looked to Aurora. "Would _you_ like to know?"

Aurora was touched that Mulan wanted her opinion, so she gave Whale the final word. "Yes. We would like to know."

"Aright then." The man in the lab coat turned his attention back towards the screen. "Let's check everything out."

After a few minutes of gently prodding Mulan's babies to get them to turn the way he wanted to, Whale turned back to the mothers with a grin on his face.

"Congratulations: there are two healthy baby girls in there."

Mulan burst into tears of joy and relief because her wish had come true. It was almost a little too much for her system, though, so Doctor Whale wrapped the session up, showing Aurora how to clean the ultrasound gel off Mulan's bump since the warrior was too tired to do it herself.

"Mulan," Whale addressed the pregnant woman when he was done putting everything away. "Because of the state that you and your babies were found in, I would like to keep you here until you're healthy again."

"That sounds reasonable to me. Am I allowed visitors?"

"Just one for now." was the response as Whale double checked all of Mulan's wires and monitors, and did a slight adjustment on the oxygen flowing through her nasal tube. "Choose wisely."

"I will."

Doctor Whale thanked her for her cooperation and showed himself out.

Daughters, Mulan thought giddily. I'm getting more daughters. Mei and Phillip will be big siblings.

Wait…

Mulan winced at her gaffe and when she looked to her princess to see if she noticed, she saw Aurora lost in thought, still wiping at the area of the bump where the ultrasound gel had been. The spot was clean and smooth now, but at this rate, the babies were well aware of Aurora, so they were now kicking and rolling their limbs in response to her touches.

"Aurora?" Mulan sat up and fixed her hospital gown over her bump and touched Aurora's hand. "I think it's clean now."

Aurora quickly chucked the paper towels into a nearby trash bin. "My apologies."

Mulan watched her as she sat back down on the bed. "Are you alright?"

Aurora had been looking solemn, but at this, she smiled and laughed. "You're the one whose been hurt and is carrying precious, wiggly cargo, yet you're checking on _my_ well-being?"

"Of course." Mulan returned the smile. "I care about you, and I always will, no matter my physical condition. I care about you, and I always will. What's troubling you?"

Aurora let out a shaky breath. "When you were inquiring about visitors, you were thinking about Phillip, weren't you?"

"Indeed I was."

"He can't come."

Mulan was taken aback. "Why not?"

Aurora let out a shaky breath. "Mulan, the ogres leveled my castle completely in the Enchanted Forest. Phillip died saving us."

Mulan's heart plummeted and she hugged Aurora. "I am so sorry."

"Thank you."

When they pulled apart, Mulan put a hand to Aurora'a trim stomach. "The last time I saw you, there was a baby in there."

"Would you like to meet him?"

Mulan lit up. "You have a baby boy? Where is he?"

"I named him after Phillip, and at the moment, he is in Belle's care."

"Belle is in Storybrooke?"

Aurora nodded. "Shall I send for her so you can see her and Phillip?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

Belle was delighted to have a reunion with the girl she so deeply admired, but she hid her heartbreak at the sight of how beat up and bruised the younger woman was. That being said, she admired Mulan's fighting spirit more than she ever had before. She had seen something recently, experienced something awful. And yet, she'd survived for the sake of her family.

Belle didn't overstay her visit, but she was sure to wish Mulan her congratulations when they informed her about the twins and promised to come back again when Mulan was more up to par. Phillip was disappointed upon Belle's departure, but when Aurora pointed out Mulan's presence.

Phillip immediately had eyes for her, and only her.

"Aurora, he's perfect!" Mulan said after a moment of playing with Phillip.

The brunette beamed at the compliment and then kissed Phillip on the cheek. "Hear that, my little prince? Mulan likes you already!"

Phillip just let out a delighted squeal, babbling and clapping his hands. Although only seven months old, he had remarkable strength, and he proved himself by using his mother's hands as leverage to stand himself up on his tiny, wobbly legs and leaned towards Mulan.

The warrior looked to the warrior for permission. "May I?"

"So long as you promise me that you'll work on getting some food into your body afterwards."

Mulan wrinkled her nose: by 'food,' Aurora meant the pudding a nurse had brought by earlier. She just didn't understand how the sweet substance constituted as food.

Realizing that Aurora was awaiting an answer and quite unafraid to use the 'I'm older than you' card, Mulan caved. "Alright, alright: I promise."

"Good answer." Aurora chirped, handing her son over. "Here you go."

Mulan and Phillip bonded immediately, and the baby turned to mush when Mulan cuddled with him and gave him kisses. Phillip dissolved into giggles when he felt Mulan's top twin kick him, and after that, he couldn't get enough of the bump, so he sat, prodding it gently because he'd never seen anything like it before.

Mei slept through whole thing.

"Aurora," Mulan tore her eyes away from Phillip. "You said it was your friend Ruby who found Mei?"

"Uh-huh."

"Where is she?"

"I… don't know, actually. She was among those who went to look for you because she's an excellent tracker, but I haven't seen her since."

"I'd like to meet her and say thank you."

"You two will be good friends, and she's like family to Phillip and myself. I'm sure she'll turn up soon."


	5. Five

Ruby woke with a start, immediately remembering finding Mulan, and the beginnings of her miscarriage.

Her miscarriage.

Oh, _no._

"Easy, Ruby." A strong pair of hands pushed her back down in a gentle but forceful way. "Take it easy."

Ruby realized that it was Granny who was talking to her, and she automatically relaxed and let her help her take a sip of water. Even still, Ruby felt confused. "Granny, what are you doing here?"

"Blue called me and told me what happened."

Ruby already felt like she was walking on eggshells because she kept expecting Granny to get mad at her for having sex without protection and consequently getting pregnant.

"Where is Blue?"

"Out in the hallway, sitting in a chair and using magical knitting needles to make a baby blanket.

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "She's knitting a baby blanket?"

"Mhm." Granny confirmed. "She says she won't leave until she can see you."

"So I didn't lose my baby if she's making it a blanket?"

"That's correct. The doctors told me if it hadn't been for you arriving when you did and Blue channeling so much healing energy into your body, the baby would've died."

Ruby began to cry tears of relief and looked down at her middle. She wasn't showing yet, but her skin in that area was already firm, protecting the precious cargo inside.

"Hi, baby." She slipped a hand under her hospital gown, wanting to feel her stomach. "Mommy loves you so much."

When Ruby looked up, she saw Granny watching her fondly.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" The younger woman asked.

"Because I raised you and I love you, Ruby." Granny smiled kindly at her. "I love babies, too, and I couldn't be more excited for yours. Everything will be okay.

Ruby smiled radiantly, extra thankful that Granny hadn't asked who the baby's father was. "Will you send Blue in? I really want to see her."

"Okay." Granny stood and had her hand on the door handle before turning back to her granddaughter. "I'll be a phone call away at the diner. And Ruby?"

"Yes, Granny?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Less than a minute later, Blue strolled in, the magic knitting needles floating in midair beside her, working on the baby blanket. It kept changing color by itself, like it couldn't decide what color to be.

"Blue," Ruby breathed as her friend sat with her on the bed. "Thank you for saving my baby. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, child." Blue hugged for a moment before pulling away and giving Ruby's hand a gentle squeeze. "I made a connection with your little one earlier."

The werewolf perked up. "Did you?"

Blue nodded. "The baby is actually very nice and has a deep affinity for you… and its father."

"So you've already figured it out?"

"Indeed I have, and I will not judge you, I promise."

Ruby thanked her again and Blue gave another nod, motioning to Ruby's middle. "May I?"

Ruby nodded and felt her insides tingle with warmth as Blue poured magic and affection into her body. After a moment, Blue perked up, too.

"The baby just revealed itself to me."

"You mean like its gender?"

"Precisely. Would you like to know?"

"Yes, please."

"It's a little girl."

Beside Blue, the blanket finally settled on a light purple color, but Ruby didn't even notice because she was more focused on the fact that she was growing a little girl in her belly; she'd always wanted a daughter.

"Is she healthy?"

"Oh, very."

Seeing that the baby blanket was done, Blue used magic to make the knitting needles vanish and then guided the blanket to Ruby.

"This for the baby."

"Blue, thank you!"

"You are quite welcome, Red, and I must say: if you'd accept, I would love to be your child's fairy godmother."

Knowing an offer from like this from a fairy was exceedingly rare, the girl with the red streak in her hair nodded.

"Of course!"

The two friends hugged again, and as Blue got ready to go, Ruby asked her another question she'd been pondering since she woke up.

"My daughter—is she like me?"

Blue nodded. "She is, but she is very sweet and lovely. You needn't worry about anything from her."

An intense amount of relief surged through Ruby's body and she waved goodbye to Blue. A few minutes later, Doctor Whale hurried in, shutting the door and blinds before turning to face Ruby. He looked surprised and relieved at the same time, and when they locked eyes, he all but ran to the bed and kissed her full on the lips. Delighted, Ruby kissed her love back, pulling him in close by his collar.

She loved this man so very much and had for decades now. If he asked, she would marry him in a heartbeat because she knew he loved her just the same.

"Ruby," he sat next to her and caressed her face because he just wanted to make sure she was really there. "I just found out you were admitted for a _miscarriage?"_

"It started just after I got back from helping find Mulan because I slipped in mud. Blue used magic and medicine did the rest, but the baby is okay—a fighter."

Whale touched a hand to Ruby's middle, marveling over its tautness. "Our little one is in there? We made a baby?"

Ruby found Whale's childlike awe heartwarming, so she held Whale's hand in place as she smiled at her boyfriend. "Yeah, Victor, we did, and she's happy and healthy."

"She?" Whale echoed. "How do you know?"

"Blue told me." Ruby handed him the blanket. "She made this for the baby, and offered to be her fairy godmother."

"And what did you say?"

"Yes, of course."

Whale gave her one last kiss before standing up. "Shall we check on our baby princess now?"

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Yes, let's!"

The baby was quite healthy, just as Blue had said, and for being eight weeks into development, her heartbeat was right on target.

"Rubes," Whale said as they wrapped the examination up and he started putting his medical equipment away. "When did you find out about the baby?"

"Somewhere around two weeks ago. Everything that's happened since, especially with Marion and Elsa showing up, has kind of distracted me."

"Why didn't you tell me that you suspected a pregnancy?"

"Because I didn't know if you'd want her… or even a family."

"Oh, Ruby." Whale held her hand. "I want all of that with you. Shoot—I want to marry you, and I would do it today, if that's what you really wanted."

Ruby's heart was doing jumping jacks at this point. "I want to marry you, too, and have a happy life and as many beautiful babies with you as our hearts can handle…"

"But…?"

"When you do ask me to be Missus Doctor Whale, I would like to be healthier, and in any other place than here. That okay with you, lover boy?"

Whale just laughed in relief; only for a second, he'd wondered if she was going to reject him.

"Absolutely."

Ruby smiled, although vacantly, as she rubbed his arm, thinking of what to say next. "There was another thing that Blue said while she was here."

"What was it?"

"She said the baby is… like me: she's a wolf, too."

Ruby waited with baited breath to see what Viktor would say, but he just smiled.

"Well, when she turns for the first time, we'll just have to go out on lots of twilight walks, and if she turns as a toddler, we'll just have make sure we teach her not to bite us or scratch us."

Ruby was the one to laugh in disbelief this time. Everything she'd ever wanted was actually happening.

"Ruby?"

She looked straight into his eyes. "Hold me for a minute before you go."

Whale sat with his love and hugged her close, his own heart jumping when she hugged him back.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, babe." She whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. "I just love you so much, and I've never been this happy before. Thank you."


	6. Six

**Some of this chapter is a little dark, so I'm warning you now and apologizing here. That being said, here's a happy thing: the whole chapter isn't dark, and the song 'Anywhere' by Evanescence was the inspiration for this chapter as a whole because it's utterly beautiful, just like Mulan's bond with Aurora :)**

* * *

Mulan was not at all a fan of the chocolate pudding that Aurora almost had to resort to force-feeding her, but the twins really liked it, so she managed to make it through a pudding cup-and-a-half before she finally reached limit.

Her mind was wandering into a realm called fear, and Aurora noticed.

"Mulan, what is it?"

"I-I want to talk to you, but I'm worried."

Aurora cleared away the pudding cups and the spoon and sat with Mulan on the bed. "What about?"

"I don't want you to judge me, though."

"You can tell me anything because I care for you and about you too much to ever hurt you or judge you. Phillip would say and feel the same."

Mulan's heart almost came undone, just by those words alone, but she forced herself to stay in the game a little bit longer. "I'm sure that you've realized by now that I have a husband."

Aurora nodded. "Before the others all set out to look for you this morning, Mei mentioned him."

Mulan sighed as she thought of her daughter. "I'm glad she and Phillip are staying the night with David and Snow because I don't want them to see me cry."

"But crying is a _good_ thing, though."

Mulan rubbed at her eyes. "Rora, I can't even remember the last time someone I cared about—the way you and I care about each other—touched me so gently like you did just now."

"Did I make you feel uncomfortable?" Aurora asked worriedly.

"No, but just for a second, it made me remember how dirty something like a gentle touch _used_ to make me feel."

"Because your husband punished you?"

Mulan's eyes widened. "How did you know it was him?"

"Mei talks, and so does Will Scarlett."

Mulan put a hand over her heart. "Will is here? I never got to thank him for being so hospitable to me."

"We will catch up with him, but I need you to finish your story so you can get it off your chest."

"Of course." Mulan refocused her attention, grateful that Aurora was next to her. "Li banished me for joining the army and impersonating a soldier and I had no choice but to take the punishment because where I come from, I am not his equal because I am a woman. I also have the rank of princess because he's the son of our village king."

Aurora looked at her friend in awe. "You're a princess, too?"

"Yes, and so are my daughters, but I don't talk about because Li treats me like property, more than anything else, and after he caught me sneaking back into our palace to collect Mei and leave with her, he punished me for almost a month straight."

Sensing Mulan's fear, Aurora took her friend's hand in hers, her heart skipping a beat at how fast their fingers intertwined and at how natural it felt. As a means to show the other princess that there was really such a thing as positive touch, Aurora held Mulan's fingers to her lips and kissed them.

"Please tell me what happened to you." She said, pressing a few more kisses to her knuckles when she saw that she liked it. "I don't want to see your heart hurting."

"Li had heard tales of my expedition with you during my banishment, and he got jealous and possessive. He beat me to remind me that I'm his wife and that I shouldn't be having adventures with people he doesn't know."

"Then surely he must have heard that you were in Phillip's company before I woke up."

"Oh, he did, and it was everything I could do to stop him from going to find Phillip." Mulan shuddered. "I wish sometimes that I hadn't been pawned off on him to marry by parents, but then I wouldn't have had Mei or be carrying twins now, and my path would have most certainly not ever crossed with Phillip's and yours."

"Do you miss Phillip?"

"All the time, and I'm so sorry he's gone. Truly."

Feeling her daughters shift and stretch inside her, Mulan guided Aurora's hand to caress the spot since they'd responded so wonderfully to her before. Aurora carried out the touches as Mulan used both hands to wipe her hot tears.

"The 'lesson' that Li intended to strike into my head by beating me was that nobody would want someone as used and as filthy as me." she explained after a minute. "I miscarried twice when Mei was younger, and I almost died both times. Li has never _truly_ broken me, but it was after the miscarriages that he started tell me that he really started calling me bad names."

Aurora could hardly fathom the words coming out of Mulan's mouth and couldn't say anything just yet because words were truly failing her.

"Li is about ten years older than me, and one of the things he told me was that even if I wasn't dirty and used, I still wouldn't be wanted because I'm so young."

"How old _are_ you?" Aurora found herself asking.

"I was fourteen when I was forced forced to marry Li, and Mei was conceived and born in that same year. As of now, I'm eighteen."

Aurora felt her heart do jumping jacks; Mulan had always presented herself as enigmatic and mature, but she had never expected to fall in love with someone younger than both her and Phillip.

"You're older than me, aren't you?" Mulan inquired.

"Age is just a number, but yes." Aurora told her. "I'm twenty-three, and Phillip was thirty when he died. Neither of us cared about that, and he never made me feel inferior about it. May I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"When was the night your twins were conceived?"

"About two weeks after Li caught me, and it happened as means to make me tell him where I'd been intending to go with Mei. He raped me, Aurora, and it hurt so bad that I could hardly walk after. When I told him I was pregnant, he called the pregnancy an accidental by-product."

Aurora touched Mulan's face, wanting to make sure she was actaully there. "Your babies are blessings, and we can love them and teach them to be happy."

"That is all I want for them."

Aurora smiled and stroked Mulan's hair. "The place you would have gone with Mei—where would that have been?"

"Anywhere that you and your family would have been."

At this, the roles became reversed as Aurora cried and Mulan did the comforting.

"What is it?" Mulan wiped Aurora's tears and even kissed her cheek. "Please talk to me; I've already told you so much when I didn't think I'd be able to."

"The last thing Phillip said to me was to take the baby and find you because he felt that as long as we were with you, we'd be safe… and a family."

In that moment, Aurora decided something important as she guided Mulan's face to meet hers. "There is no other way to say it, so here it is: Mulan, I love you, and so did Phillip—we always felt someone was missing from our happily ever after, but we didn't know until you walked away that it was you. And had Phillip survived the ogre attack, we still would have done everything to rescue you and Mei, and find some place for _all_ of us to live peacefully."

Mulan was now the speechless one, but she could feel all of the faith and trust she'd been stripped of become restored as Aurora showered her in affection and reassurance. Never had she felt wanted or so treasured.

"You and Mei and your darling babies are my family now, and age doesn't matter, nor did anything Li ever told you that made you feel bad about yourself. You're strong and beautiful, and you know what?"

"What?"

_"I_ want you, and _I_ love you just as you are. Absolutely _nothing_ will _ever_ change that."

"Rora, what if Li finds you here and hurts you? I'm still his wife, and I wouldn't be able to bear it if you or our friends got hurt because of him."

"Then we will cross that bridge if we ever get to it. You're safe in Storybrooke, and we can start over. That's what matters most right now."

Aurora kissed Mulan on the crown of her head, and Mulan finally relaxed completely. She even cried softly, making the front of Aurora's dress wet from her tears. There wasn't enough words to describe the peace, love, and joy that Aurora was giving Mulan.

The brunette let Mulan change positions to get more comfortable, and when she settled, her big belly was pressed against Aurora's flat stomach, allowing her to easily feel the twins' kicks and stretches. It was with great restraint that Aurora kept her hands from wandering, so she just about melted when Mulan took her hand in hers and slipped it underneath her hospital gown and held it to her bare skin where the twins were moving the most; for Mulan, that was as intimate and as trusting as she could get at the moment.

Aurora kissed her again, touching her cheek to Mulan's black tresses as she spoke. "I love you forever and ever—that's a promise."

"I love _you_ forever and ever, too," Mulan leaned against Aurora, an ear to her chest because she wanted to hear her heartbeat. "And thank you."

"For what? Loving you? I've loved you in some way, shape, or form for as long as I've known you, even if it didn't seem like that at first."

Mulan blushed, remembering what things had been like during their first meeting. "Thank you for they, and for looking after Mei, and rescuing us from our nightmare. I can finally breathe."

"You are more than welcome, and if I had to, I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

Mulan let out a yawn but couldn't help it; the medicine in her system was making her very sleepy. At least she knew better than to fight it.

"Sleep." Aurora said when she saw her fading. "I'll be here when you wake, love."

Mulan smiled at the nickname. She liked it.

"What about Ruby? I still need to talk to her."

"I will find her after you've slept some."

"Promise?"

"Yes—she can't be far."

"Okay." Mulan's eyelids grew so heavy that she gave up on trying to keep them open. "I love you."

Words I'll never get tired of hearing, Aurora thought.

"I love you, too." Aurora gave Mulan one last kiss. "You rescued _me_ without realizing it, and I could never say thank you enough."

The two sat silent for a heartbeat, and then Aurora started to sing Mulan a lullaby.

That was the last thing Mulan heard as she fell into her first peaceful sleep in far too long.


	7. Seven

Mulan slept for almost two hours, after which—at Aurora's request—she had more pudding.

Not long after that, Doctor Whale came by for another check-up, and it was at the very end of this, just as he was about to leave the room, that Mulan spoke to him.

"Pardon me, Doctor Whale, but do you know the whereabouts of Ruby? We would very much like to see her before she turns and can't talk."

Whale seemed startled. "You know what she is?"

"I've known for quite awhile now. Is she near?"

"Yes. She's in the hospital here, actually, because she had a spill earlier and almost had a miscarriage."

Both of the mothers in the room were speechless and both put a hand on Mulan's bump, as if wanting to protect the babies. Noticing this, Whale hurried on.

"I promise you both: Ruby _didn't_ lose the baby because the Blue Fairy found her and used her strongest magic to keep the baby in good health and good condition until the nurses could get to her."

"So the baby is good now?" Aurora found herself asking. "Safe and sound."

"Yes, and so is Ruby, but she's on strict bed rest until sundown. She's allowed visitors, too, but—"

Whale stopped talking suddenly and checked his pager as it made noise.

"What is it?" Mulan inquired.

"An emergency just came in that requires my immediate attention."

"Then by all means, go!" Aurora ushered him.

"Besides," Mulan tacked on, gesturing towards the door. "Something tells me that we will be okay."

Blue had appeared in the doorway, having shown up with the intention of checking on Mulan, but she was extremely flexible.

"Go ahead and go." She told Whale as she entered the room. "I will care for the girls."

Whale thanked her and practically dashed out of the room. Blue greeted Aurora, but she noticed that Mulan was looking dumbstruck.

"You're the Blue Fairy?" the warrior princess asked.

"I am," nodded Blue. "And I know who _you_ are, Mulan, although I'm sure you have a name for me in your native tongue, don't you?"

"Lán jīnglíng," Mulan provided. "And when I was younger, my mother would tell me that seeing a fairy would mean good luck, but she never said anything about finding their leader…"

Quite amused, Blue decided to show Mulan some goodwill. "Because you have waited so long to see your first fairy, and I'm your first, I'll grant you one wish. Choose wisely."

Mulan thought for a moment: she already had all the love, joy, and peace with Aurora that she'd been longing for, and between the two of them, they had one son and three daughters.

What was left?

Oh!

"I wish that my babies and I could be healthy enough to go home with Aurora now."

Blue's wand materialized in her hand and she pointed it at Mulan's massive bump, whereupon a stream of dark blue magic streamed from the tip to Mulan's body, enveloping it for a second, filling her with happy feelings and warm thoughts as her body worked at rapid speed to repair itself and make her body stronger where it had been weaker. All of it had happened so fast, that Mulan felt felt better literally one second later.

Aurora kissed Mulan's cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Much better." Mulan say up and laughed when she felt her daughters kick and wiggle as she stretched. "Much, much better."

Aurora kissed Mulan's temple, just out of habit, and Mulan had to restrain herself as she remembered that this was neither the time nor the place to pin her love against the nearest wall, kiss her senseless, and go all the way with her, like she wanted to.

Instead, she looked up at Blue. "Thank you, so much!"

Blue smiled kindly at her. "You are quite welcome, child, and you should be fit to leave the hospital now, although I imagine you'll want to do so after you accomplish whatever it was that Doctor Whale was going to help you with."

"That is most certainly correct." Mulan confirmed. "We were going to go see Ruby before she turns into her true self."

"I was just with her a little while ago, so I can take you to her."

The girls were pleased by this, and because Mulan didn't have any real clothes or shoes, let alone any that fit her at the moment, Blue provided her with a new outfit and shoes that were suitable for the weather outside.

Mulan was thankful, although when Blue told her she had to sit in a wheelchair, she balked at the idea until Aurora whispered tantalizingly in her ear that she'd been planning to treat her to more than just kisses and cuddles later, but if she wasn't going to cooperate, she would revoke all of that and do… _other_ kinds of things… to _herself. _

Mulan stopped pouting immediately and let Aurora push her in the wheelchair.

* * *

When they got to the Intensive Care Unit, Mulan saw that it was a single room, really, and that Ruby was in a glass cube sort of thing, separate, at the back. Blue led the way, and after checking on Ruby in a motherly way, she saw to it that Aurora and Mulan got situated, she left quietly.

Her work here was done.

* * *

Just like Mei had been the first time she saw Ruby in human form, her mother was fascinated by the werewolf, too.

"May I sit with you?" Mulan asked, almost shyly.

"Of course." Ruby scooted over to make room for her on the bed. "I'm so glad to finally meet y—oh!"

Mulan was now on the bed with Ruby and hugging her close in a hug that was full of love and thankfulness. "Thank you, Ruby, for finding Mei, and brining her to Aurora for me."

When Ruby pulled away, she held Mulan's hand a little bit longer. "You're welcome, and Mei is a very lovely child."

Mulan beamed, as any mother would when they heard kind words about their child. "How did you find her? And spare no detail—I know that you're a wolf."

"Well, I was out for a nighttime stroll, and I smelled her before I saw her because what they say about animals being able to smell fear? One hundred percent true. I went looking for Mei, and when I found her, she was frightened and worn out, but when she saw me, all of that went away. I got her to ride on my back, and we made it all the way back to Aurora's room at the inn."

"Why do you suppose her feelings went away when she saw you?"

"Mei realized that I wasn't going to hurt her, so she decided to trust me."

"You have a very trustworthy face." Mulan said sincerely.

"You do." Aurora agreed from her spot on the rocking chair by the window.

Ruby blushed spectacularly at the compliment, so Mulan took advantage of that and added something else.

"Thank you again for finding Mei, but another thank you is in order keeping tabs on Aurora, too."

"Anything for Aurora's love."

Mulan was the one to blush this time, and Ruby chuckled.

"I know who you love, and you know what I am; we can call it square."

"I can agree with that."

"Good, because I really want to be friends with you." Ruby chirped. "I heard a lot about you, back in our land."

Mulan raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Oh, yes: you'd be surprised how far tales of your heroics travelled back home. If not for those tales, amongst other things, I wouldn't have decided to be br—oh, no. Sweetheart, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry!"

Mulan had gotten teary-eyed out of nowhere.

Aurora intervened, sitting with the two and gave Mulan a back rub as she did some clarifying for a confused Ruby. "It's nothing you said, Rubes; she's a little sensitive right now for obvious reasons, but she's also not used to to people—especially those who are older than her—saying nice things like that to her. Things were hard for her during her years in her palace."

Ruby nodded, more understanding now, and realizing that Mulan was probably not the kind to respond to pity from someone she'd just met, she held her hand.

"Hey," she cooed to her. "It's okay, Mulan. I will never hurt you, but if anyone ever does, I promise you that all you'll have to do is give the word, and the wolf will come running."

"Really?"

"Really," Ruby promised her. "And you know what I'm looking forward to?"

"What's that?"

"Our children being friends, too. My baby has a long way to go, but—huh… that's different…"

Mulan and Aurora were taken aback Ruby's random change in tracks, but before they could say anything, there was a sudden burst of light, and when it cleared, in Ruby's place was a coal-black wolf pup.

Aurora opened her mouth and promptly shut it again, confused, but Mulan quickly scooped Ruby up in her arms and wrapped her in a blanket when she saw her shivering.

"It's okay, Ruby." Mulan told her in a calming tone, running her fingers through her fur. "I've got you now, I've got you."

Apparently, reassuring words were all Ruby needed to hear because she relaxed and even curled up on top of Mulan's bump, entertained by the feeling of the babies wiggling, turning, kicking, and stretching underneath her.

Mulan leaned back on her hands and watched Ruby, just breathing. After a moment, Ruby let out a yawn, but since she was a puppy, it came out high-pitched and cute. She even curled up tighter and fell asleep, snoring lightly.

"Did that just happen?" Aurora finally asked. "What about her baby?"

Tentatively—because she didn't want to wake Ruby up—Mulan examined the wolf's middle with two fingertips, but she wasn't feeling anything.

"She's full-on wolf right now," Mulan resumed leaning back on her hands again. "But it isn't sundown for another hour yet."

"Odd…"

Mulan looked back at Ruby again, enthralled by the sight. When she was a child, her parents' dog—a Shar Pei by the name of Mushu—was her constant companion and slept in her bed every night. Having Ruby with her like this was bringing back memories. Actual fond ones.

"Rora, can we keep her?"

"Sorry, but no."

Mulan actually pouted. "Why?"

"Because Granny or Doctor Whale would be the best to care for her, seeing as they have the most experience with wolves, and besides," Aurora leaned over and peppered a few kisses on Mulan's neck and jaw, quite turned on by the fact that even though the blinds were drawn and the door was shut, anyone could walk in on them at any moment. "I was thinking that after I show you around and we get some dinner, we can go back to my room at the inn, which is completely empty, and… you get the rest…"

"Yes, yes, I do." Mulan sighed lustily as Aurora got in another kiss on the other princess' neck, even using her tongue. "Go find someone to collect Ruby."

Aurora gave her one last kiss, on the nose this time. "I'll be back soon, love."

When Aurora left, Mulan looked down at the puppy atop her belly. "You're a sleepy baby, aren't you?"

Ruby yawned, burrowing into the blanket she was wrapped in. Feeling the babies and the rising and falling of Mulan's very swollen middle was very pleasing, so she even snuggled closer to her friend.

"You promised me," Mulan said softly, stroking Ruby more. "That you'd come to my rescue if ever I need it, but I promise you that if you ever get sad or lost in the middle of the night, our door is always open."

Ruby yawned again and nuzzled up against Mulan's hand in her sleep.

"We'll be good friends, you and me. I'm glad our paths have crossed at last." Mulan resumed petting Ruby; the softness of her fur was mesmerizing. "The best is yet to come."


	8. Eight

Granny came to collect Ruby, and once that had been situated, Aurora and Mulan left the hospital together. Aurora happily showed Mulan around Storybrooke, and when she pointed out the library to her, Mulan became incredibly happy.

"A library means _books, _Rora! It's been so long since I've had even one of my own!"

Aurora frowned slightly at this. "What do you mean?"

"My father thought it wasn't proper for women to 'fill their heads with nonsense,' and when he found the stash of books that my mother, my grandmother, and I had, he burned them on a bonfire and made us watch. Li wouldn't let me have books at all."

Aurora held the door open for her. "Belle and I can help you get a library card and some books to borrow."

"Belle runs the library?" Mulan asked as Aurora joined her.

"Yes." Aurora looked around. "She's in here, somewhere. Come on."

Aurora and Mulan found Belle in the fiction section, shelving books, and she was genuinely surprised to see them.

"Wow, Mulan—I didn't think you'd be out of the hospital already!" Belle remarked as she hugged her friend. "How did you manage?"

"Let's just say that the Blue Fairy is a family friend now."

Belle nodded understandingly; the old fairy looked out for her, too. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually." Mulan chirped. "It's been quite awhile since I've had a book to read. What do you recommend?"

"What do you like?"

"Anything, really."

Aurora could practically see the wheels begin to spin in Belle's head as she thought of possibilities for the teenager.

"Come follow me." Belle beckoned. "I have exactly what you'll like."

Belle brought Mulan to the young adult section of the fiction area in the room filled with children's books and pointed out some of her favorite titles before encouraging her to do some exploring on her own.

"She seems like a completely different person than from when I first her." Belle remarked in undertone to Aurora as they stood to the side, watching Mulan move about the whole room, curious about it. "What happened?"

"She's healing from some very traumatic events from her past, mostly before she met us." Aurora chose her words carefully. "Right now, though, Mulan is free, and that is all she's ever wanted."

"Storybrooke really _is_ a place of renewal; I'm proof, but that's another story." Belle mused. "Take care of her, Aurora. Treasure her."

"Oh, I plan to." Aurora answered without missing a beat. "I could never do her any wrong."

"She is your heart, isn't she?"

"Forever—I can't imagine the rest of my life without her or the little family we've built."

* * *

After they finished their business at the library, and Mulan proudly carried a stack of new books, Aurora took her to the diner for a meal, and once they finished that Aurora showed Mulan to her bedroom at the inn.

"This is where Phillip and I live," Aurora said as she shut the door behind her and sat on the bed. "And Ruby's room is next door."

Mulan set her books on the table beside the door, and the first thing she noticed was Phillip's crib next to the bookshelf. She walked over to it and ran a hand over the carvings in the dark cherry oak. The craftsmanship of the whole structure was remarkable, so whoever made it had to be an expert builder.

"Do you like it?" Aurora asked. "My friend Marco made it for Phillip, and it's designed so that when he gets bigger, it can turn into a proper child-sized bed."

Mulan sat beside her love, lost in thought for a moment. "That's very clever…"

Aurora could see that something was amiss with Mulan, so she guided her face towards hers. "Talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"It's not so much of a bother as it is a bad memory. When I was little, I had a good life and a beautiful house, but then to make a long story short, about two years before my parents literally sold me to Li's family, we moved to this miserable shack that was complete with dirt floors and a leaky roof. My horse had a stable next to the shack, and even that was better at certain times."

Mulan shuddered.

"By the time that Mei came along, I lived in splendor, but Li had so many rules and restrictions because he couldn't stand the sight of her or me. Li wouldn't even let Mei have a proper cradle or bed."

"That is awful," Aurora held Mulan's hand in hers and kissed it, a tactic that really seemed to work. "But remember—that's all over, and I'm going to do everything I can to make up for all of that mistreatment. Tomorrow, we'll go get everything we need for when the babies come. We'll get things for Mei, too."

Mulan furrowed her eyebrows. "But where where will she and Phillip sleep when the babies come?"

"Details, details." Aurora waved a hand in dismissal. "We will work on it tomorrow, and for now, we're just going to focus on the things that are right in front of us."

Aurora kissed Mulan on the cheek and, feeling daring, she worked her way down the base of her neck. Mulan shuddered in delight and tilted her neck to the side to let Aurora have better access.

"I love when you touch me like this. I really, really do."

Aurora had a feeling the only times Mulan had been touched in such a way as this was probably when she and Li had been working on extending their family. Phillip, on the other hand, had shown Aurora that while sex could be used for procreation, it could also be used as a way of connectivity and also a way to show love.

"I am quite glad." Aurora put a hand on Mulan's right leg, just above her knee. "Do you want to keep going?"

"Yes, please. Just be gentle."

"Of course. Now just relax, alright?" Aurora took Mulan in her arms and laid her against the headboard, taking extra care to prop her up with pillows. "I want you to enjoy this."

"Alright…"

Mulan's words ended in a lusty sigh of contentment because once more, Aurora was working her magic with her tongue, but in more sensitive places than the mouth. The bliss only lasted for a few minutes because even though both of them were more than a little bit horny now, Mulan was getting giggly.

"What in the world are you laughing at?" Aurora pouted, pulling away.

"I'm sorry." Mulan sat up and took her shirt off before framing her big middle with her hands. "It's just that the babies are awake all of a sudden. Feel this."

She took Aurora's hands in hers and placed on her bump, where their daughters were indeed awake and moving around. The bottom twin had her back to them and was lying diagonally, but every time her mothers ran their hands over her back, she arched it and kicked more. The top twin, however, found Aurora's hand and pushed back with her own.

"Hello, my darlings." Aurora leaned down and kissed the bump gently. "I'm quite delighted that you two are so happy right now, but we will play with you in a little while because we just need some time to ourselves right now."

So in love with the babies growing in Mulan's womb, Aurora continued to kiss them and whisper to them until they were completely calm again.

Mulan propped herself up on her elbows to look at Aurora in disbelief. "How _do_ you _do_ that?"

"Because I have a way with children." Aurora bragged cheekily. "Now may I continue?"

"Continue with wh—oh…"

In a rather bold move, Aurora had kissed her way down from the bump and was now kissing Mulan's thighs, hiking up her skirt and working her way upward as she went.

Pausing, Aurora looked back up at Mulan. "Do you like that?"

"Yes, I do." Mulan leaned back on the pillows in submission. "I am all yours."

* * *

By the time the two princesses had finished their lovemaking—during which Mulan became bold enough to pleasure Aurora—both were naked, hot and sated, facing each other on the bed as they laid wrapped in the sheets together while they recovered from what had just happened.

"What did I do to be so lucky to have you in my life?" Mulan asked, tracing shapes on Aurora's hip. "I love you, Aurora. So much."

"There are some things I just don't question anymore—like all of the love I have towards you, or how that I know that in time, Phillip will come to think of you as his mother, too." Aurora put a hand on Mulan's heart. "The one thing that I've come to _accept_ since I saw you in the hospital today is that everything happens for a reason, even if it's not apparent the moment it happens, is that you are here with me and that we love each other. I lost you before, and I don't want to make that mistake again. _I_ am the lucky one."

Those words made Mulan weep with joy.


	9. Nine

**Writer's block sucks, but I promise I haven't forgotten about this!**

* * *

As the two princesses continued to enjoy each other in their bedroom, both of the twins woke up and kicked around. Mulan was not too thrilled because she would have preferred to breathe without feeling winded, so in order to make Mulan feel better, Aurora covered her body in kisses, taking extra time on the bump.

After a few minutes of talking to the twins and telling them how dearly she loved them, Aurora propped herself up on her elbow and traced shapes over the bump with her free hand.

"Mulan," she said after a minute. "How did Mei get her name? What does it mean?"

Mulan smiled. "Mei means beautiful, and I gave her the name because even after twelve hours of labor, she was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen… she's also the first of my naturally-conceived children to live past birth."

"What a lovely story." Aurora smiled when the bottom twin pressed her little heel against her hand. "Aurora means beautiful, too."

Mulan wrapped herself in one of the sheets and sat up against the headboard to get a better look at her girlfriend, but left the bump free, knowing—and kind of loving—that Aurora couldn't keep her hands off it.

"Why the sudden interest in our names?" Mulan asked. "Thinking about name ideas for our daughters?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes. What's the meaning of your name?"

"Flower orchid."

"That's really beautiful."

Mulan sighed sadly. "Back in my palace, I had a nursery where I cultivated heaps of orchids and roses. Mei and I would spend hours in there, keeping each other company while we tended to the plants and imagined a better future."

Aurora sat up and wrapped a blanket around herself, too. "You know, part of my mother's name was Rose."

Mulan arched an eyebrow in interest. "Oh, really? What was her full name?"

"Princess Briar Rose, and if our paths would have crossed when Mei was younger, or when you were pregnant with her, mother would've taken you two in as wards of the court without thinking twice because she wielded more power than my father did in that area. She would have loved you and Mei both and saw to it that you were both cared for and properly educated."

Mulan's heart suddenly filled up with sadness of how she'd missed the chance to meet Aurora's mother by just a small margin.

"Rora," she said softly. "Can we name one of our daughters Rose? After your mother?"

Aurora's heart filled up with even more love for Mulan than was already there. "You would do that? You would name one of our children after someone you've never even met before?"

"Well, I know you, and you are also as kind as she sounds… the way I see it, that's a perfect reason to name one our daughters after your mother."

"Alright," Mulan actually smiled when she felt a kick from the top twin. "So if we have Rose, then her twin also needs a flower name."

"Yes, but nothing ridiculous like chrysanthemum or amaryllis."

"And since Rose, Mei, and Phillip are all easy to spell, this one can't be left out of that rule, too." Mulan added quickly.

"That's fair enough."

And so the two tossed ideas back and forth for awhile until Aurora thought of the perfect name.

"Daisy."

Mulan gave an approving nod immediately. "I love it."

Aurora grinned. "Phillip is already trying to figure out how to talk, so I wouldn't be surprised if any of the girls' names are his first word, but do you think Mei is going to like the names?"

"Oh absolutely—she loves flowers. Having sisters called Rose and Daisy will positively tickle her."

"Good." Aurora pecked Mulan on the cheek. "How are you feeling now?"

"Sleepy, but the sun has yet to go down."

"Don't worry about it." Aurora got under the covers and beckoned for Mulan to join her. "It's perfectly okay. Come here."

Mulan happily cuddled up to Aurora, sinking closer when she wrapped an arm around her waist. "Sleep, my love. I'll be right beside you."

"Thank you…"

The words were barely out of Mualn's mouth when she just succumbed to her tiredness and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Mulan finally felt like she could socialize with the rest of the town citizens and it was with renewed energy that she and Aurora headed to David and Snow's place to collect Mei and Phillip.

"Mulan, Aurora!" Snow chirped as she let her friends into her home and invited them in to sit down. "We were just about to have breakfast; will you join us for pancakes and bacon?"

"Sure." Mulan answered, wondering what pancakes were. "Are Mei and Phillip awake yet?"

Snow nodded, closing the door behind them and joining them at the dining table. "David and Emma went upstairs to wake them, Neal, and Henry."

Mulan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I heard that Henry's father is gone—and my deepest sympathies—but who is the other Neal?"

"He's mine and Charming's baby boy."

Mulan instantly lit up. "You have a son and Emma has a brother now? How very wonderful!"

Snow beamed, but before she could say anything, Mei came hurrying down the stairs and made a beeline for Aurora's lap.

"Hi, mama!" She hugged her around the middle and kissed her on the cheek, repeating the same action with Mulan. "Hi, mama!"

Both mothers greeted Mei, and she leaned over from Aurora's lap and kissed Rose and Daisy hello, the twins kicked happily in response.

At that moment, David and Emma showed up with the rest of the kids, and Phillip squealed in delight when he saw his family. He grew even more vocal and giggly when David deposited him into Aurora's arms and his mothers and sister gave him hugs and kisses. To all the world, the four of them looked like a happy, normal family that hadn't been in dire straights only twelve hours prior.

On the other side of the table, Emma looked to her parents. "Have you ever seen Mulan or Aurora so happy before?"

David and Snow shook their heads.

"No." said she.

"Neither have I," said he. "But it's beautiful."

And it was.

* * *

Meanwhile, past the area where Mulan had been found, none other than Li was lurking in the woods, hidden just out of sight of the footpath.

He had yet to figured out how that mysterious purple cloud had come from, and what land it had taken him to, but he knew for sure that Mulan was here because he'd seen her.

And she was still his wife.

He'd get her back, one way or another.


	10. Ten

**Much love to Gracie for checking to see if I'm still alive! I assure you that I am, but I temporarily misplaced the notebook that I drafted all the chapters in and only just found it U^_^**

**Now on with the show! xo**

* * *

To Mei's dislike, Aurora had to go to her job at the animal shelter for a few hours around noon. Mulan understood though, and she was grateful when Aurora dropped Phillip off at the babysitter's place because she knew that in her condition, the only child she had the energy to deal with solo was Mei.

Ruby would have done the babysitting, but inexplicably, she remained stuck in the body of a puppy.

Not wanting to be alone, she tagged along with her friends for the day.

* * *

"Mama?" Mei said suddenly. "Something feels funny. I don't like it."

The two of them and Ruby were at the park, enjoying the autumn day and up until Mei had spoken, they'd been enjoying a comfortable silence, looking at books. Mulan looked up from hers to address her offspring.

She could feel what Mei was feeling, too, tracker that she was, but she'd said nothing because Mei was very excitable.

"I'm sure that it's nothing." Mulan told her. "Go back to your book."

Mei would not be moved by her mother's words and to prove her point, she actually set her book down and gazed at Ruby, who only a minute before, had been snoozing in a patch of sunlight and was now sitting on her haunches and staring at a fixed point in front of her, some way off.

"Then why is Ruby acting funny?"

Before Mulan could think of a non-frightening way to say that they were more than likely being watched by someone they thought they'd escaped, Ruby gave a high-pitched yip and then bounded from her spot and clambered on top of Mulan's big belly, ready to protect it.

She had a good reason reason, though: _Regina_ was approaching them. Ruby knew that Regina was doing her best to turn over a new leaf, but when she was in wolf mode, her instinct to protect became so strong that it had more than once been the source of clouded judgement.

Mei, meanwhile, decided that it was Regina who had been watching them, so she went back to her book and tuned the others out.

Mulan became stuck trying to pacify Ruby as Regina came to stand in front of her bench.

The witch and the warrior had heard about each other many times over the years, but they'd never had a reason to meet… until now.

"You must be Mulan." Regina gave her a kind smile. "May I sit?"

Mulan gave a nod and watched her sit while trying to figure out what the other woman could possibly want. Seeing that Mulan was quite apprehensive, Regina continued to be kind.

"You can relax, dear. Even if you weren't pregnant, I still wouldn't hurt you."

Mulan fianlly spoke, relieved by the admission. "Why?"

"Because you're a mother… and because _I_ am not _mine."_

"Your mother was Cora, the Queen of Hearts."

Regina nodded. "She died and sometimes I miss her, but I'm working on doing my best to not be like her. I also know that Aurora, Belle, and Ruby would also be first in line to retaliate. I just want to talk—honest."

Somethig about Regina's tone was trustworthy, so Mulan finally relaxed. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

Regina nodded towards Ruby. "For starters, I wanted to see for myself it was true about her. I visited Aurora, and she said Ruby is with you."

Mulan scratched Ruby behind her ears, grinning a little when Ruby caved a little; she loved cuddles. "It's very true. Aurora and I were talking to her at the hospital, and she randomly changed into a puppy even though the sun had yet to go down. Apparently, she has yet to change back to herself."

Regina was immediately intrigued. "Any ideas why?"

"It's probably something to do with her being pregnant."

Ruby immediately turned around to look at Mulan and gave her an annoyed growl.

"If you growl at me again and don't relax," Mulan reprimanded the puppy. "I will put you back on the grass!"

Not at all interested in moving from her spot when she had the top surface of a wiggly baby bump to be on, Ruby sobered up and curled up in a ball, falling asleep almost immediately and snoring adorable puppy snores.

"Well, you certainly have the mothering thing down." Regina remarked in amusement. "When Henry was a little one, he went through a frustratingly long phase where he wouldn't listen to me unless he _chose_ to."

"Mei isn't like that, thank goodness, but she inherited my fierce determination and the stubborn streak of her father."

At the casual, accidental mention of her husband, Mulan immediately bit her lip as she did her best told hold in her tears, while she held one hand to Ruby's little back and the other to the side of her bump, to the area where she could feel the twins both kicking around.

She avoided talking about Li because of the moments like this, when she remembered the abuse.

"I'm sorry." She told the other woman.

"It's okay." Regina reassured her, seeing almost right away the battered soul of someone who'd been through way too much in a short period of time, although she only recognized it because that had been her once. "Storybrooke is the place where we all get to start over, no matter how fresh the wounds."

Thankful that Mei had wandered off to play on the playground and was out of their immediate earshot, Mulan asked "Has anyone told you yet how I got to Storybrooke, or at least where I was found?"

"I assume that you got here because of the curse?"

"Yes." Mulan confirmed.

"Robin Hood informed of the rescue party at the trailer, and that you were in pretty bad shape. The word he used was 'ghastly,' actually."

"It was quite bad before the Blue Fairy healed us, but the worst part is _who_ did it to me."

Again, Regina thought back to her marriage to Leopold, but what made her heart turn over was when she realized that at the time, she couldn't have been much older than Mulan was now.

"It was a person close to you; Mei's father, perhaps?"

"Yes, and I haven't seen him since we got here, but I've had the strangest feeling about him."

"What is it?"

Mulan spoke with a tone of utmost seriousness. "First, promise me that you'll tell nobody—especially Aurora—unless it's an emergency."

Regina responded in equal seriousness. "You have my word, Mulan; I understand what it's like to be neglected and even manipulated by people who say they love you."

Mulan felt her heart skip a beat in both surprise and relief because she'd never expected to find an ally in the Evil Queen, even when she was an evil queen reformed.

"I can't help but feel as though my husband has been brought over as well, but that he's hiding."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "That's quite a claim. What's his name?"

"Li Shang, and back where we come from, he's next in line to be king and I am to be the queen, making Mei and the babies I'm carrying are princesses by birthright." Mulan sighed shakily and ran her fingers through Ruby's fur. "All of that being said, Li happens to be a dedicated soldier, so he has a code of honor that he lives up to. I've done all kinds of things to dishonor him, but they were in the name of Mei's best interests. If Li is looking for me here, his main goal would be to take us back, and I really don't want to go."

"Did he learn any kind of tracking skills in the army?"

"The best."

"So if he _is_ here, it wouldn't be apparent because he's really good at hiding himself and covering his tracks." Regina said as she connected the dots. "Are you scared that he's going to harm you and your children?"

_"And_ everyone I love; Li is the jealous type." Mulan said with a shudder. "I've never loved him because he's older than me and because I was around Henry's age when I married him and had Mei, but as it stands, I am still his wife and he considers me his property because of the way of life in our village. If he so much as finds out that I'm in love with a woman, I really don't know what he'd do to me."

Mualn began to cry as memories of her past came back and Regina found herself comforting the girl, thinking back to how there hadn't been anyone there for her when she had been very far gone in depression during her marriage. True, Tinker Bell had shown up at a very crucial time, but it had been after their fall out, when Regina had started spiraling down past the point where even Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent couldn't help her, that she had really wished for someone who could have been in her corner.

"I've got you, Mulan." Careful not to jostle the sound asleep Ruby, Regina held the warrior close and comforted her in a motherly way. "If he comes, or even if you just need help because you're in trouble, call for me and I'll protect you. I promise."

Very grateful for the love and the beginnings of a newfound friendship, Mulan just hugged her tighter.

* * *

Hours later, after Aurora had returned from work and Mulan brought Aurora to up Doctor Whale's room (he lived in the inn, too), Aurora and her family had dinner together, but it wasn't until after they'd put the children in their beds in the corner of the room that Aurora had remembered her promise to take Mulan shopping for baby furniture.

When she apologized, Mulan accepted the apology, but she sounded like she was lost in thought. Naturally, Aurora called her out on it.

"What are you thinking about?"

On the bed, Mulan watched Aurora start to set their library books on a shelf near the door. "Mei, Ruby, and I had a visitor in the park today."

"Who was it?"

"Regina."

Aurora spun around immediately to face Mulan, the book stack still in her arms. Although Mulan was on the bed, she scooted back a little when she saw Aurora's normally pale complexion actually drop a whole shade.

"What did she want?" The older princess inquired, the iciness of her tone one hundred percent apparent.

"She was just coming to check on me," Mulan answered honestly and then raised an eyebrow. "And why are you suddenly so hostile?"

Aurora gave Mulan a genuine 'are you fucking kidding me?' look. "Mulan, Regina's mother liked to _rip out hearts_ of the people whole crossed her, and as I know you know, she ripped out _mine. _Plus, Regina also happens to be the Evil Queen, remember?"

"Of course," Mulan scoffed. "But she's different now—surely you've noticed that since you've been in Storybrooke longer than I have."

Mulan had Aurora there, she'd admit, but she still had one more secret yet. "Please tell me you two haven't bonded."

"Then I'd be lying to you."

At this, Aurora felt downright scandalized and she dropped the rest of her books, but she made no move to pick them up. "Then cut ties with her, I beg you."

Mulan suddenly felt both affronted and confused. "Why? I like her, she likes me, she promised not to hurt me, _and_ she understands what it's like to come from a bad home."

Aurora pulled out her last-resort tactic. "If not for the queen, Maleficent wouldn't have been encouraged to regain her strength and come after me in revenge against my parents after they toppled her."

"I beg your pardon, Rora?"

Mulan of course knew more about Aurora's than she had when they first met, the mere mention of it always caught her off-guard because the mention of most specific of details were few and in between.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"That we all know that Regina is the reason that Emma grew up thinking herself to be an orphan, but also the reason I woke up as one!" Aurora snarled. "Regina was even there when Maleficent put me to sleep, and probably even offed my parents; I have _never_ been able to forgive that, even after all these years!"

There were times, like now, when Aurora spoke with the wisdom and pain of how old she would should have been—a touch over fifty—and it always told Mulan that there was more to Aurora than what most people took for at face value.

Only wanting to make peace because Mei and Phillip had woken and were getting sniffly, she got off the bed and approached Aurora.

"She is _good_ now—I saw it, I _felt_ it."

Unfortunately, Aurora was now set in her ways. "Regina is toxic."

"I don't believe that, not after the kindness that she showed me today, and as I said earlier, she promised not to touch me in a way that can cause harm."

"She _promised_ you, did she?" Aurora asked sardonically.

"Yes. Just what is wrong with a promise?"

"It was broken promises from Regina's _mother _in the months preceding my birth that led to my kingdom's downfall in the first place, as was well Maleficent's banishment from our castle!"

By this point, Mulan really couldn't tell if Aurora was upset by her friendship with Regina or the old memories their fight was dredging up… or both.

"Wait!" Aurora said suddenly when she realized that Mulan had the front door open and her back to her. "Where are you going?"

Mulan couldn't even look at her. "I think that you and I need some space. I am going to sleep somewhere else tonight."

And with that, Mulan left.


	11. Eleven

Mulan felt horrible for walking out on her family, especially she heard them all start to cry, and she wanted to go back and fix it immediately, but what she'd said about needing space was true.

When the cold night air hit her out in the back alley, Daisy and Rose began to kick furiously at the abrupt change in temperature and Mulan found herself shivering because she was barefoot and in just her pajamas.

"Regina," she called out in between her sobs and shivers. "I need help."

The witch appeared immediately in a cloud of purple smoke, and when it cleared, she took stock of Mulan's appearance, and the first thing she did was use magic to stop her tears ("Crying that hard will do no good for your precious babies," she'd said) before proceeding to conjure up some warm clothes and fur-lined shoes for her friend to to wear.

"Tell me what the problem is." Regina said kindly. "Please."

"I got into a really bad fight with Aurora."

"About what?"

"You."

Regina shifted her weight from one foot to the other, nervous. "What happened?"

Mulan explained what had went down between her and Aurora, including the mentions of Maleficent, and at the end, she finished off with, "Last time I stood up for my beliefs, I was banished and then raped and beaten to the point where I could barely even walk! This time, I made my love and our children cry, and now I'm a horrible person for it!"

Regina hugged Mulan in comfort and used magic to channel warmth into her body. As she did that, though, she felt both of Mulan's daughters move against her, and she had to ignore the feeling of longing for a baby of her own because she had to be mature at the moment. Mulan really needed her.

"You are nothing of the sort—you are good, kind, loving, wonderful, honorable and so brave that you will fight for your family, even if it physically hurts you. Everything about that is courageous, too, and Mulan, I wish that _I'd_ had that kind of courage when I was your age because if I had, I wouldn't have gone bad."

Mulan finally wrapped her arms around Regina, accepting that she cared and just held on until she stopped crying and could be herself again.

"Let's get you out of the cold, hm?" Regina said when they pulled apart. "Where would you like to go?"

"To Snow's and David's place, please."

Regina understood: while she could tell Mulan greatly appreciated the comfort she was providing, it could only go so far because in reality, the warrior was a vulnerable teenage girl who needed _two_ parents to give her affection.

In the blink of an eye, Regina teleported them away.

* * *

A moment later, they were in front of Snow's and David's apartment, although Mulan was regaining her footing. That was the first time she'd ever teleported and being one hundred percent human (and not one who had magic grafted into their soul the way Regina did), it made her feel a tad bit discombobulated.

"That's a feeling I thought I'd never have to experience."

She gave a soft grunt and rubbed circles on her bump when she felt her daughters kick up a storm.

"Daisy and Rose enjoyed that a little too much."

Again, Regina thought briefly about what it would be like to have a baby—hopefully hers and Robin's—growing inside her womb, hopefully one day soon.

"Here." She touched a hand to Mulan's bump, giving it a small blast of magic. "That should calm them down."

Mulan let out an exhale when she felt the babies immediately simmer down. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Regina gave Mulan the kind of warm smile that she only really saved for Henry. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Satisfied by that answer, the witch knocked on the door in front of them.

David answered and was quite taken aback to see who he was receiving, but he stepped back and let his guests enter, calling for Snow as they did so.

"What is it, D—"

The princess' words faltered as she descended the iron-wrought staircase from upstairs, but when she saw Mulan and the condition she was in as Regina helped her onto the couch.

"Mulan and Aurora had a fight," Regina explained as the rest of them sat. "Because Aurora holds a grudge against me for my history with Maleficent, and she's also upset that I've befriended Mulan."

David and Snow both only heard the first part because they both flashed back to their own shady, shameful past with the dragon sorceress. Luckily, they both recovered quickly.

"What exactly _does_ Aurora know?" David asked.

"Aurora blames Regina, Maleficent, and even _Cora_ for brining about the downfall of her kingdom and her family, but she _really_ hates Maleficent for putting her to sleep in revenge against her parents, King Stefan and Queen Briar Rose."

Mulan looked around the loft, suddenly realizing how quiet it was.

"Where _is_ everyone?"

"Neal is asleep in his crib over there," David pointed in the direction of his and Snow's room. "And Henry is asleep upstairs."

"Emma and Elsa are at the station." Snow added.

"Okay, good."

Mulan meant to say something else, but she scrunched her nose and looked down at her mountain of a belly, trying to will the twins to be calm for her.

"Please behave; mama doesn't need that right now… good girls… thank you…"

When the feeling passed, she looked at the other three to see that they were all watching her, eyebrows raised.

"The babies had some terrible hiccups earlier, and they lasted for over an hour." She explained quickly. "I assure all of you that I'm not in labor—I just really don't have the energy to deal with two silly babies right now."

"Mulan," Snow spoke in the gentle motherly tone she used with Emma when she had the blues. "Do you need a place to stay tonight?"

The warrior princess nodded. "I was going to ask, but it was enough of a project explaining myself so far."

Snow sat on her free side, pulling the girl in for a cuddle and pressing a kiss to her temple. "You can stay with us toni—hey, it's okay. Go ahead and cry."

Mulan was overtired now, but when Snow held her, she had suddenly felt the safety and warmth she'd been seeking since walking into the alley, and when David knelt in front of her, offering her his hand to hold, she took it and didn't let go.

David and Snow were moved and confused at the time by Mulan's extra impetuous display of her vulnerability because she was as tough as people came, being a warrior and all, so they looked to Regina in explanation.

"Mulan has never had parents who truly loved her, but she came here because she knows that you two have a very beautiful capacity to show love. The past that she escaped is just as bad as mine, but I don't think she's ever had a chance to really cry about it like this until now."

David nodded in understanding, remembering how he'd kept the grief and psychological damage of his father's verbal abuse and eventual death bottled up for years and years until he'd met Anna.

"We'll care for her tonight." David told Regina. "Thank you for bringing her to us."

Although she'd said it a few times already they night, she said it again with complete sincerity: "You're welcome."

Having complete faith that her family would care for Mulan as though she was their own, Regina gave Mulan's shoulder a gentle squeeze of affection and showed herself out quietly.

* * *

Later, once Mulan had stopped crying and eaten a little, she laid down on Emma's bed, falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

Still perturbed by the earlier mention of Maleficent, David wanted to talk to Snow about it, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Snow?" David joined her on the couch at the far end of the loft, by the window. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Snow smiled at him. "I was watching Mulan sleep for a moment, and I saw how she's keeping her hands on her belly, even in sleep… did I do that when I was pregnant?"

David nodded, a little freaked out at the possibility of how this conversation could end. "Yeah, but mostly when you carried Emma because she came first. Why are you asking?"

"Because then I watched Neal sleep and I thought about how lovely it would be for him to have a sibling that's close in age to him. Emma's all grown up now and she loves her brother so much, but I _do_ want Neal to have a playmate."

Quite unsure of what to even make of the conversation by this point, David chose to be straightforward. "Snow, are you pregnant again?"

Snow finally realized that her words had gotten her husband's knickers in a real twist and she laughed.

"No, David." She gave him a back rub and smiled more when he gave a laugh of relief. "I wish I was because I love babies, but come on—our son isn't even one yet. I just like to daydream and think of names for the next one."

"Oh…"

"What about Olivia?"

David raised an eyebrow. "You think Emma and Neal will get a sister the next time around?"

"Come on, David—humor me."

"I do like that name, actually." David said thoughtfully after a moment of consideration. "Princess Olivia…"

Snow's happy smile turned into a pleased grin, and she asked, "You were going to tell me something, weren't you?"

"Yeah." David sighed, regretful he had to take away their happy moment. "Mulan and Regina both mentioned that Aurora's past intertwines with Maleficent's."

"Oh, that." Snow gave out a sigh, similar to her husband's. "Right."

"By my count, including when time stood still, Regina and Aurora are close to the same age. How much do you think Aurora knows?"

"The possibility of Aurora knowing what we did to earn Maleficent's wrath frightens me because Aurora is a nice person, but she's also an old, walking enigma."

David liked Aurora, so it felt weird to hear even his wife hold her at arm's length, but then again, he hadn't spent all that time with her in the post-apocalyptic Enchanted Forest. His wife and daughter knew the young princess well, especially Snow, who had gotten physical with her on one occasion.

"Snow, is Aurora… _dangerous?"_

"Only when she's extremely irritated or paranoid. She _is_ a good person when it really comes down to it." Snow paused to ruminate a little further. "Aurora's intelligence isn't to be underestimated, though."

This caught David's interest. "Oh? Has she played dumb on you before?"

"Yeah, and she's good at it—back when Emma and I fell through that portal, she played dum and also _hostile_ on us for awhile. The scary part is that she's the only other person in Storybrooke besides us, Regina, and Rumplestilstkin who knows Maleficent well."

"And Maleficent is not one to trifle with, not with the power she has at her disposal."

"If memory serves, she resided in Stefan's and Briar Rose's castle, right?"

"Mhm. She isn't related to that family—shocker—but she was their advisor before she went bad and laid things to ruin."

Snow catalogued that piece of information for further use, and because as frightful as Maleficent was, she found her fascinating.

"What do you think the chances are of Aurora _really_ blabbing about the sins Maleficent committed against her and her family?"

"Hopefully zero since only a few people know where Maleficent is now. Aurora isn't one of them."

"Yeah, okay."

Snow was getting distracted again, although this time, David knew the reason.

"Snow, look at me."

She did, but she said nothing.

"Emma still doesn't know what we did, and yes, it will break her if or when she finds out, but if the chances of Aurora blabbing are as low as they are, then we are still in the clear. Besides: we have different fish to fry right now."

"Ingrid, Elsa, and finding Anna."

"Bingo, and that's what we'll focus on for now, alright?"

"Okay. Sounds good to me."

Snow laid down with her head in David's lap and laced their fingers together.

"Then can we just talk about Olivia, and what she could be like?"

David lovingly kissed Snow's fingertips. "Of course."

They went on to wile away the next hour, imaging their yet-to-be-conceived baby daughter and all of the hopes and wonders they had about her.

And they were happy.


	12. Twelve

To say that Aurora was upset would be an understatement.

She was _devastated._

True, she'd been equipped with snarkiness and a temper for decades now, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that they would have been the reasons that Mulan would make the physical choice to walk away from her.

And now, she realized as she wiped at her tears, she had two sobbing children to think about.

"It's okay." She cooed to them as they all camped out on her bed together. "I'm here now, I'm here."

Phillip's cries quieted quickly because his mother's voice was very comforting as it was, and Mei held tightly to the front of Aurora's blouse with one hand, wiping her tears with the other. She was confused, but she knew that Aurora would be there for her.

"Why did she go? Why did you fight, mama?"

Aurora's heart fluttered at the sound of Mei calling her mama, but she kept it together as she stroked her daughter's dark silken locks. "Because, my darling Mei, there were some things that we really did not agree with."

"Why?"

"It's too complicated to explain."

Mei bought that, but then looked up Aurora, unblinkingly. "Do you still love mama? Does she still love _you_ and me and Phillip and the babies?"

Aurora's heart almost sank with sadness at the questions because she knew that like Mulan, Mei had a habit of doubting love, but this was the first time that she'd actually heard it.

"Mei," Aurora said seriously. "Nothing will ever be able to keep mama and I from loving each other, and absolutely _nothing_ could ever stop her from loving you, Phillip, or the babies, either."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, baby girl." Aurora kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm very sure."

Pacified, Mei snuggled closer to Aurora, wide awake. "What do we do now?"

The older princess understood what the miniature one meant, but she didn't have an immediate solution. "I don't know."

"Well, I wish that the Blue Fairy was here."

A split second later, there was a muted _POOF! _noise in the hallway, followed by a _KNOCK-KNOCK!_ sound at the door and a familiar voice calling out.

"Aurora? May I enter?"

"Yes!" Aurora called back, startled to realize that Mei had summoned the fairy without meaning to. "The door is unlocked!"

Blue entered and surveyed the scene to see Phillip sleeping soundly, but Aurora and Mei with astonished looks on their faces.

"I appear when sad children wish for me from the bottom of their hearts." She said in response to Aurora's unasked question. "What happened here? Where is Mulan?"

"We got into a fight, and she left us." Aurora said sheepishly. "I don't even know where she went."

"And I'm hungry!" Mei threw in.

Blue thought fast. "You all are welcome to spend a night at the convent, and I will do some asking around about where Mulan could have gotten to."

"Will there be food?" Mei asked, clearly of a one-track mind.

"Yes, little one," Blue held her arms out to her, suddenly wanting to hold her. "There will be food before bedtime—I promise."

Quite pleased by that answer, Mei let Blue pick her up and then turned to look at Aurora, still on the bed with Phillip. "Mama? Are you coming?"

Aurora nodded and got to her feet, doing her best to hold her son, who had become deadweight in slumber. She was feeling exhausted now, but she knew there would be no sleep for her until she knew for sure where Mulan was.

"Yes, I am. Don't worry."

* * *

Blue teleported them to the convent, and after Mei ate, she fell asleep quickly. She and her mother and brother had a room to themselves, and when Aurora saw that she was down for the count, she placed her in the hanging child-sized bed by the window. Phillip was fast asleep on the other side of the room in a hanging crib. Aurora's heart began to soften somewhat as she heard her children sleep.

Just as Aurora began to imagine what things would be like when her family finally got the peace they deserved, Blue returned from her nighttime inquiries and spoke with Aurora out in the hallway.

"Mulan is with Snow White and Prince Charming. They've taken care of her and she is going to be staying the night in their loft."

Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. If anyone will comfort her and love her like she's their own, those two definitely will."

"Indeed…"

Blue sounded a little distracted, so Aurora called her out on it. "Are you alright? Something is clearly on your mind."

"I'm glad you and your children are here because just past the perimeter of the convent is the woods, and out there in the underbrush, I could sense a man with undo intentions looking this way."

Aurora suddenly felt a little ill. "That has to be Mulan's husband, Li Shang. He abuses Mulan to a great degree and thinks very little of Mei and the twins. Mulan even thinks that Li would try to take Mei."

"Then you are going to be glad to know that I've already put protection spells over Mulan and the children."

"Thank you, Blue."

"You are most welcome, Aurora. I know of what's happened to you over these past seven months, and it would make me so sad if your family drifted apart, so I'm going to do everything I can to help you protect it and keep it intact."

Aurora was already fond of the fairy, but now her heart had suddenly filled to overflowing with the sort of love she'd last felt towards Briar Rose.

"You remind me so much of my mother, Blue. She would have done everything in her power to protect Mulan and the children—in fact, she probably would have called on you for help."

"That, she would have. I miss Briar Rose and Stefan dearly."

Aurora was taken aback by this. "You knew my parents?"

"Quite well, actually." Blue shifted her weight from one foot to the other, actually nervous about what she was going to say next. "I would like to tell you a secret, but it isn't exactly a pretty one."

Even more taken aback to see the oldest living person in Storybrooke insecure and wishing to entrust her with a secret, Aurora thought of all of her experiences and adventures she'd had over time with Phillip, Mulan, Emma, Snow, and Killian. After all of that, she'd turned into an open-minded person, so who would she be to turn Blue away now?

Aurora also had the distinct feeling that Blue wasn't this real with anyone except for her, Mulan, and probably Ruby.

"You can tell me anything, Blue. I won't think less of you."

"I met your parents when Briar Rose was newly pregnant with you and had accidentally gotten separated from the royal caravan when they stopped for a break during a return journey from a neighboring kingdom."

Getting lost sounded just like something her mother would do, so Aurora couldn't help but smile at that. "Did you help her find her way back to my father?"

"Yes, and as thanks, your father told me that any time I passed through their kingdom, I was always welcome to stay in their castle for as long as I wished."

"But legend has it that you don't like humans."

"Legends are mostly fabrication, Aurora, and there are only _some_ humans that I dislike." Blue quickly explained before getting back on track. "I'm sure you remember that Maleficent lived in your castle as your parents' advisor before she went bad; she and I _did _cross paths when when I stayed with your parents, but for your sake—because you were so precious and curious—we were civil and stayed out of each other's way."

"Thank you, I suppose," was all Aurora could think of to say to that because she was trying to figure out why she couldn't remember Blue from her childhood while she had vivid memories of Maleficent playing with her and entertaining her with magic.

Blue just plowed on, wanting to get things over with. "At one point, your parents asked me if I would use my magic to reveal your gender, and when I told them that you were a girl, they were so overjoyed that they asked a request of me."

"What was it?"

"To be your fairy godmother."

Aurora couldn't even form a proper sentence. "My— You're my— _Really?"_

Blue nodded. "Yes, although the last time I was part of your life at Skeldergate Keep, you were almost three and more interested in chasing butterflies. That being said, I made sure that even though you were already a royal, that you wanted for nothing."

"Then what happened when I was a wee thing?"

"Everything started falling apart and I made bad choices, becoming selfish and turning my back on you and your parents." Blue was really feeling the burden and shame of her guilt now. "By the time I returned to make amends, it was too late."

"Why?"

"Maleficent and Regina were set in their ways, Rumplestiltskin and Cora were thorns in my side, you were asleep, your parents had passed away, and Phillip had been turned into the Yaoguai, Mulan hadn't left her village yet, and Emma's birth and the first curse were looming ever closer. I wanted so badly to help you, but too many things had been set in place that, if disturbed, would have completely disrupted your destiny. All I could do was let you sleep and let things play out, and for that, I am _so_ sorry."

"I forgive you, Blue. I accept your apology, and I forgive you." Aurora said without any hesitation. "Believe me—I know that it can take a lot of courage and strength to admit to being wrong, or to even admit that you've been keeping a secret, but I'm glad you told me."

"Are you?"

"Yes, because it means that we can start over and _truly_ be friends now. I've never had a fairy for a friend before."

"There is a first time for everything," Blue chirped in amusement. "And I won't try to replace Briar Rose, but I really do enjoy being with you, Aurora."

She must, Aurora surmised, if she keeps calling me by name and not a term of endearment. "I enjoy being with you, too, and I am already thankful that you want to help me protect my family."

Pleased by the knowledge that her children and her love were all protected now, Aurora had let her guard down so she could be happy like a regular person instead of one who had seen too many horrible things before her time. And now that she'd forged a friendship with the oldest, strongest, and wisest fairy in existence, she became content.

Sleepiness was also starting to best her and Blue noticed, catching her when she stumbled after a yawn.

"Come, dear Aurora." The magical creature said softly, leading her back into her bedroom. "You need to sleep now."

Too exhausted to argue, Aurora just nodded and let Blue mother her.

* * *

Outside in the woods, Li Shang was fuming as he moved quickly and quietly through the underbrush towards town.

While he wasn't magical by nature, he knew a dark magic spell—courtesy of an old healer from his village—that would break the bubbles around his family.

If it hadn't been for the fact that Mei was currently slumbering in the fairy stronghold and that the head of the fairies had easily detected him, he would've gone for his daughter because she'd be easier to carry.

But no matter—he was more interested in seeing his wife, anyway.

And the magic would be easier to break at her location.


	13. Thirteen

Over in the Charmings' loft, everybody was fast asleep, and that was really saying something because Mulan's babies had woken up for awhile and engaged in a shoving match with each other until Rose gave in, letting Daisy win. They fell asleep again, shortly thereafter.

It wasn't long after that that things went wrong.

"Get up!"

The command was quiet in Mulan's ear, but because of the expert hearing she had, she heard it and woke instantly, fear and confusion filling her heart. When she opened her eyes and made out who was looming over her in the darkness, her heart rose into her throat and she wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Li had found her.

"Take us out, but do not make any noise." he said.

Mulan did as she was told, and in a matter of moments, she and her husband were gone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Li when they were outside and walking through the empty Storybrooke sreets together. "How did you get into the loft? It's on the third floor!"

Li arched an eyebrow at Mulan; true, she had remarkable tracking skills, but she could be slow-thinking at times. He'd always thought their age gap was to blame for that. "Forgotten all of those climbing excercises, combat runs, and training skills I put you through because you've gone soft in this new world, have you?"

"How _could_ I forget?" Mulan hissed. "Whenever you weren't having your way with me so I could bear you sons, you ran me almost to _exhaustion! _Half the reason I left the palace in the first place was to get away from you!"

_SLAP!_

Li had stopped in his tracks and gave Mulan a smack across the cheek for being a smart mouth, a trait she'd bore for as long as they'd been married. Yes, she was very pregnant, but Li didn't care because as his wife, Mulan definitely knew better than to be insolent and to respect him because she was a woman, and in their culture, even the royal women were inferior in comparison to their men. It was his job to punish her when she stepped out of line.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about that dishonorable act of yours, especially now that you've gone and taken up with a _woman!"_

Had this conversation happened in the past, Mulan would have been teary-eyed by this point, but ever since Aurora had taught her to look for joy in the simple things and was even helping her become rehabilitated so she would know that love wasn't so bad, she stood her ground and stared Li down.

"You do _not_ touch her, Li. Aurora's been through hell and back, and when she finds out that you've taken me, she will no doubt become ill with grief." Mulan growled. "I've had the impression for quite awhile that you were in this land, and even Mei figured out all on her own today that you were watching us."

"Did she, now?"

"Oh, don't act all interested in Mei's tracking skills when you've never been interested in her a day before now, but yes—she _did_ figure out you were there, although she couldn't pinpoint exaclty where." Mulan took another step towards Li, doing her best to look threatening. "I have no idea what you want, how you arrived in this land, or why you haven't spoken with me sooner, for that matter, but do _not_ touch Aurora or the children; they have nothing to do with this. _I_ am the one you want, and we both know it."

Li smirked and continued on his way, keeping a tight grip on his wife's wrist; sometimes, she just made things a lot easier than they needed to be. "Yes. Yes, you are. Now come along."

* * *

Over at the inn, Ruby had yet to change into her human self, so she was curled up in a ball on Viktor Whale's bed, snoozing in her adorable puppy way, when all of a sudden, she jerked awake because her instincts told her that something was quite off the bed, a motion that woke her partner from his own slumber, Ruby ran to the door and pawed at it until Viktor came over and opened it. The second there was enough space for her to squeeze through, Ruby ran down the flight of stairs and out the front door of the inn before Viktor could begin to process what had just happened.

One of Ruby's best assets as a wolf was her super-speed, and she loved it.

* * *

Elsa woke abruptly on her travel bed in the loft, and she didn't know why because as far as she knew off the top of her head, everyone was accounted for. David and Snow were asleep in their bed, and Henry wasn't even here because he was at Regina's house for the week. (What a peculiar family this is, Elsa thought when that factoid about Henry crossed her mind) Mulan had fallen asleep in Emma's bed, so Emma had claimed the couch adjacent to her travel bed for the night.

So why was she, Elsa, awake?

Knowing that baby Neal was a bit of a night bird and that he liked it when she held him, Elsa decided to check on him, although it was mostly because she just wanted the company.

The tiny prince was wide awake and cooing softly to himself, so Elsa scooped him up, making sure to wrap him in his blanket because she had a naturally cold body temperature and would feel bad if her little friend became cold because of her.

"Hello, baby boy." she whispered to him as she sat on the stairs with him. "Why are you awake, hm?"

Neal just let out a contented sigh, laying his head on her shoulder and proceeded to suck his thumb.

"Oh, so you just wanted to be held?" Elsa laughed softly. "That's quite alright."

Mesmerized by the sound of Elsa's voice, Neal just snuggled closer to her and inhaled her scent, which, now that she'd been spending time in an actual home, was a mix of the fresh fruit that was always kept in a bowl on the dining table, and the vanilla perfume that Snow seemed to favor. It was no small wonder that Neal adored her and like the way she smelled.

As Elsa sat with him and worked on getting Neal back to sleep, she suddenly got the feeling that she should open the front door of their dwelling, although she didn't know why. She tried to ignore the feeling because it was more important that the child in her arms to get his proper amount of rest, but she couldn't pretend for too long that something was nagging her, so she rose and crossed the loft with Neal in her arms to the door and opened it.

Much to her surprise, Ruby was on the other side and before Elsa had time to blink, the puppy was running into the home, straight to her prefixed target: Emma's bed.

In a graceful jump, Ruby landed on Emma's bed, sat on her haunches, and threw her head back in a long, single-noted howl.

Elsa was very taken aback and didn't know what to do, while Neal just giggled in delight at the sound because he thought it was hilarious.

Knowing the sound of their son's laughter, even in sleep, David and Snow were awake immediately, as was Emma. They wanted to ask why Elsa and Neal were awake, but they had to first face the elephant in the room.

Or, the howling puppy, rather.

"Okay, Rubes…" Emma yawned as she headed over and turned on the bedside lamp. "What do you w—oh, God!"

That last part had come out in a shriek when she realized what she was looking at.

"Mom, dad?" Emma called out the names of her loved ones, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. "Elsa?"

They all gathered around her, and it was her mother who let out a startled cry at the sight of the Mulan-less bed.

"Where the hell did Mulan go?"

_"Why_ did she go?" David squawked.

"Let's be reasonable, now." Elsa said quickly, not wanting Neal to get upset by the tension. "Mulan is _heavily_ pregnant and away from her family, but it is _highly_ unlikely that she left to go see them at an hour like this."

"Elsa's right." Emma posited, picking Ruby up in her arms and rubbing her fur in an attempt to soothe her before she woke their whole building. "Mulan really wouldn't go for a stroll when she needs help just to get out of a _chair, _and Ruby's wolf instincts are always right in the mark, so that means that something bad happened to Mulan."

"What are you saying, Emma?" David pressed warily.

"I'm _saying,"_ Emma answered, the dread mounting in her heart. "That Mulan was _kidnapped!"_

* * *

The woman in question was in the woods with Li, stationed in some kind of camp that he'd been living in. From what Mulan could tell, they were a ways away from town, but nowhere near the trailer she and Mei had lived in. That also meant that they weren't anywhere near where the Merry Men made their camp, and that frightened Mulan a great deal.

Alone with Li, anything could happen.

* * *

Mulan was already slipping back into her old ways, using her bitterness as a defense mechanism, so of course, she was already sporting new bruises for fresh insolence. Normally, Mulan would have engaged in a sparring match to defend herself, but now that she was pregnant, her best defense was to curl up and protect her babies to the best of her ability. Although she wished she didn't, the princess knew her husband inside and out, so she quickly realized that he was trying to break her spirit, just like he had when he'd caught her sneaking into the palace to collect Mei.

Yet, Mulan wouldn't give Li the satisfaction of achieving his goal.

After what Mulan felt was too long, Li finally stopped and left the camp, saying that he had something to do. He wouldn't tell her what it was and when he left, he did something that really threw Mulan for a loop: he cast a spell over the campsite, encasing it in a protective bubble. Mulan didn't know that Li was capable of magic at all.

That made him even more dangerous than he already was.

Not good. She needed to get help, and quick.

* * *

_Blue,_ Mulan thought desperately as she did her best to clear her mind. _Blue, can you hear me? Are you telepathic?_

There was a beat of silence and then a soft, _Yes_ could be heard in her mind, as clear as day.

Keeping her cool as best she could, as she'd never attempted telepathic speech before, Mulan projected another thought. _Can you help me? I'm so scared, and I don't where I am!_

_I'm afraid not, child. Your husband has encased you in a spell made of dark magic that I cannot touch. He has already tried to come here._

For the second time in a single night, Mulan felt her heart. _There is nothing you can do?_

While the old fairy had a history of clouding the truth when she had to, she was being completely open and honest with Mulan as they conversed. _I am afraid not, and I am so very sorry._

_I accept your apology. Does my family know that I've been taken?_

_Yes, and the savior and her father are here with Ruby, ready to help us form a search party or some kind of retrieval plan. We are just waiting for Princess Belle, the queen, and Robin Hood to arrive._

That gave Mulan a smidgen of relief, knowing that so many people had already dropped everything to come find her, but she didn't see what good it would do if even Blue couldn't breach the magic that she was currently ensconced in.

_Are Aurora and the children at the convent with you?_

_Yes, and I promise to look after them until you are safe._

_Thank you._

_Be safe, dear child. I love you._

And with that, Blue's voice winked out of Mulan's brain altogether, and her normal stream of thought was restored. Had she known that Blue never directly expressed her affection with human phrases like "I love you," Mulan would have been more worried than she already was at that moment.

_SNAP!_

Mulan jumped a mile at the sound of a twig snapping because it had come from the other side of the barrier. Someone was obviously there, but she couldn't see who it was.

Ingrid had arrived.


End file.
